WASHINGTON (AP) – The attack on a cricket team in Pakistan this week prompted intelligence officials to caution local authorities Thursday to be on the lookout for possible similar assaults at U.S. sporting events.

The notice, along with details of the attack, is part of an intelligence assessment that points out there are no known plots against sporting events in the United States.

In a separate assessment dated Wednesday, the FBI and Homeland Security reminded Indiana law enforcement officials that the Big Ten basketball tournaments this month in Indianapolis and other large sporting events are inviting targets for terrorists. The Big Ten bulletin noted that U.S. intelligence agencies were unaware of any threats against the tournaments.

Copies of the intelligence assessments were obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

“Although we have no information regarding a threat against U.S. interests, this is a strong reminder for everyone to be aware of such a possibility,” said Rich Kolko, a spokesman for the FBI.

Kolko said the assessment was sent to law enforcement officials to provide guidance on what to watch for.

“We have security procedures in place, and, obviously, the safety of our fans, student-athletes and coaches is foremost,” Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman said during Thursday’s first-round games of the Big Ten women’s basketball tournament. “We have a meeting before the tournament every year to make sure everything is in place.”

The review of Tuesday’s attack in Lahore, Pakistan, noted that the Sri Lankan cricket team was traveling with a security detail at the time. Six police officers and a driver were killed. Seven players, a coach and an umpire were wounded during the half-hour assault.

The attackers arrived on motorcycles and rickshaws and used automatic weapons, grenades and rocket launchers, then disappeared into the crowded city.

U.S. intelligence officials say the attack – carried out by a small team of operatives – shows how easily it could be duplicated elsewhere.

The attack bore similarities to November’s three-day terrorist rampage in the Indian financial capital of Mumbai. The Pakistani group Lashkar-e-Taiba has been blamed for that incident, in which 10 gunmen targeted hotels, a Jewish center and other sites, killing 164 people.

While the Mumbai shooting was larger than the cricketers attack, U.S. intelligence officials believe it may have served as an inspiration to small terrorist groups that don’t have the resources to carry off a 9/11-style attack.

AP-ES-03-05-09 1931EST