The University of New South Wales has issued a warning to students and staff members of its Kensington campus after receiving an online threat on 4Chan by an anonymous user on Monday.

The poster containing the threat message read, “I finally managed to get a handgun. Australians, if you study at UNSW don’t go in tomorrow.”

UNSW authorities forwarded an alert message on Monday, saying “We are treating this incident seriously and have been liaising with the NSW police through the anti-terrorism and security group and Local Area Command.”

Police have responded with claims that this was a general warning and not a specific threat to be taken seriously.

The university has not evacuated its campus and classes are continuing as normal. However, students who choose to leave campus will not be penalised.

UNSW students have been asked to install the university’s security app, which offers direct access to emergency security services and viable safety advice.

The Sydney Morning Herald reported a second-year student, Karina Boyle, saying she saw the police inspecting the whole campus on foot and bikes on Monday morning. She said it was a scary scene to witness.

Third-year engineering student Leigh Caprile said that the threat message had not bothered him at all, and was not taking the message too seriously.

The 4Chan post is reminiscent of reports of a 4Chan posting by Oregon gunman Chris Harper-Mercer, who allegedly wrote an anonymous message on 4Chan saying "Don't go to school tomorrow if you are in the northwest" a day before he opened fire and killed around nine at the Umpqua Community College.

UPDATE: Varied reactions from students

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