THE US and Britain warned their citizens yesterday of an increased risk of terrorist attacks in Europe, with Washington saying al Qaeda might target transport infrastructure.
The US State Department issued a warning directed at American citizens traveling in Europe, without singling out any specific countries.
Britain raised the terrorism threat level in its advice for citizens traveling to Germany and France to “high” from “general.” It left the threat level at home unchanged at “severe,” meaning an attack is highly likely, and said it agreed with the US assessment for the continent as a whole.
The moves came after a week in which a number of European officials had broadly confirmed media reports that new intelligence indicated possible attacks on the continent.
Western intelligence sources said militants in hide-outs in northwest Pakistan had been plotting coordinated attacks on European cities, the plans apparently surviving setbacks from a September surge in drone strikes and an arrest.
The plot involved al Qaeda and allied militants, possibly including European citizens or residents, the sources said. In Washington, US officials said Osama bin Laden and the top al Qaeda leadership were likely behind the plot.
Some security officials have drawn comparisons to the brazen Mumbai attacks in 2008 that targeted city landmarks such as luxury hotels and a cafe and killed 166 people.
The US State Department travel alert said public transportation systems and other tourism-related facilities could be targets, noting that past attacks had struck rail, airline and boat services.
“The State Department alerts US citizens to the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe,” it said in an advisory on its website, adding that current information suggested al Qaeda and affiliated groups were planning attacks.
A US official said President Barack Obama held meetings on Friday (October 1) night and Saturday (October 2) morning about the European security threat and was briefed on the situation again yesterday morning.
The alert was posted on the State Department website at http:/travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_europe.html.
Europe is worried about how reports of the threats might affect tourism. The US alert falls short of a more severe one in which the State Department might have warned citizens against traveling to Europe. Instead, the alert urges them to take precautions when they do travel.
Said US tourist Tom Steier: “You should take these threats seriously, but right now I feel very safe in Paris.”
French foreign ministry spokesman Bernard Valero said France had taken the US warning into account: “The terrorist threat remains high in France … the alert level remains unchanged at red,” he said. That is the second highest level.
A spokesman for Britain’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) declined to detail why the travel advice for France and Germany had been updated. “Like other large European countries, they have a high threat of terrorism, which is reflected in our updated advice.”
Advice is under constant review and draws on a variety of sources, the FCO said.
British home secretary Theresa May said Washington’s decision to change its advice for Europe was “consistent with our assessment".
"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,” she said.
A new potential threat was outlined last week in media reports, partially confirmed by European officials, that Europe could be the target of attacks.
European Union counter-terrorism coordinator Gilles de Kerchove said the plot showed the continent had to do more to impede extremists going overseas to train.
