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George Mason University 'inadvertently' sends shelter in place alert

George Mason University inadvertently sent an alert that said there was a person with a weapon on the Fairfax campus Tuesday.

FAIRFAX, Va. — George Mason University "inadvertently" sent an alert telling students, staff members and faculty to shelter in place because there was a person with a weapon on the Fairfax, Virginia campus Tuesday morning.

"Mason Alert: A person with a weapon is on the Fairfax campus and considered dangerous. Take shelter in a safe location and lock/block the door. Defend yourself if necessary. Avoid campus until further notice," the alert read on the university's website and Twitter. 

It was immediately passed around on social media with several retweets and reactions. 

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Moments later the university realized the mistake and took to social media to clarify. 

"Mason Alert: There is no emergency at George Mason University. This message was inadvertently sent. See email for more information," the university tweeted five minutes after.

After recognizing the error, the university removed the original tweet stating the threat.

Below is a screenshot of the initial tweet. 

Credit: WUSA9
George Mason inadvertently sends shelter in place tweet.

A couple weeks ago, authorities evacuated the Gannett Building in McLean, Virginia, after police searched for a reported armed ex-employee who was seen inside.

After the search, police said everything was safe and they did not have any evidence that a crime was committed. 

Although it disrupted business, officials said they were thankful it was a non-event. 

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