Fresh terror warning for UK and US travellers

Warning: Fresh fears for UK and US travellers
12 April 2012

Travellers faced a warning about possible terror attacks today after both the UK and US governments issued new alerts.

The Foreign Office warned that there was a "high threat" of attacks in countries including France and Germany, rather than the "general threat" previously identified.

And the US State Department urged Americans to be vigilant when visiting Europe, highlighting the "potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".

The heightened warnings came after British intelligence officials intercepted a credible al Qaida-linked plot last week.

The planned attack would reportedly have been similar to the deadly commando-style raids in Mumbai, India, two years ago, with cities in France and Germany also targeted at the same time.

Last Tuesday the Eiffel Tower in Paris was evacuated following a bomb threat called in from a telephone booth - the second such alert at the tower in two weeks. A search by bomb experts found nothing unusual and it was reopened within hours.

There has been speculation that Osama bin Laden could be personally masterminding the latest plots.

The Foreign Office advice now states: "Like other large European countries, the French/German authorities continue to consider that there is a high threat of terrorism.

"Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

Home Secretary Theresa May urged the British public to report any suspicious activity to help police and security services disrupt the terrorists.

"The first and most important duty of this government is the protection and security of the British people and visitors to the UK," she said.

"As we have consistently made clear, we face a real and serious threat from terrorism. Our threat level remains at severe - meaning that an attack is highly likely.

"I would urge the public to report any suspicious activity to the police in support of the efforts of our security services to discover, track and disrupt terrorist activity."

Mrs May said the UK was working closely with the US on counter-terrorism, and its new guidance was "consistent with our assessment".

The State Department stopped short of recommending that citizens stay away from high-profile sites in Europe - as was thought to have been under consideration before.

"Current information suggests that al Qaida and affiliated organisations continue to plan terrorist attacks," the advice said. "European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions."

It noted in particular "the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".

"US citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when travelling," the department said.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in