Some Ohio State students studying in Europe were surprised to hear that the U.S. State Department had issued a terror alert for the continent Sunday morning.

OSU officials set a goal of 10 a.m. today to notify the students, a full day after the federal announcement.

Colin McMahon, a fourth-year in finance studying at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, said he hadn’t received anything from the U.S. Embassy and did not know about the terror alert until he spoke with The Lantern.

“It’s interesting because technically the Department of State is supposed to send out these e-mails,” McMahon said. “I guess I would have gotten those, but I didn’t.”

The alert warned U.S. citizens traveling abroad in Europe about the heightened potential for terrorism.

“Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks,” according to the alert, which was issued at about 9 a.m. Sunday. “European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and … U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling.”

Grace Johnson, director of Study Abroad at the Office of International Affairs, said in a phone interview with The Lantern that the office is working to inform OSU students abroad about the alert.

“We will be calling their attention to (the alert) and reminding them of basic safety precautions,” Johnson said. “The alerts will all be sent out by 10 a.m. (today), no later than that.”

Johnson said there aren’t nearly as many students studying abroad this quarter as there were Summer Quarter, but she said there are still quite a few students in exchange programs.

Laura Andreatta, study abroad coordinator for the Fisher College of Business, said she is trying to inform 33 students in Europe of the alert by 10 a.m. today. However, Andreatta also said students who registered their trips with the U.S. Embassy should receive “automatic alerts.”

Kaylee Smith, a fifth-year in interior design studying in the Netherlands at the University of Groningen, also said she hadn’t heard about the terror alert. Although Smith said she feels safe in Groningen because it is a “mostly residential” city, she is “concerned” about traveling later in her trip to areas with larger populations.

The alert urges Americans to be cautious but does not discourage them from traveling in Europe. Johnson said an alert, which is one step down from a “warning,” is telling travelers to “be vigilant, know your surroundings and be on your toes.” If the State Department issued a warning, OSU would need to consider bringing students back, Johnson said.

Germany, France and Spain are all at “high” alert levels for terrorism, while the Netherlands is under a “limited” terror alert. Britain, which raised the threat of terrorism for its citizens traveling in France and Germany from “general” to “high” on Sunday, is under a “severe” threat of terrorism, meaning a terrorist attack is “highly likely.”