Related News
US to tell US citizens to be vigilant in Europe
Source: Agencies |
October 3, 2010, Sunday
|
Online Edition
Online Edition
THE Obama administration will warn US citizens to be vigilant as they travel in Europe, providing updated guidance prompted by al-Qaida threats, American and European officials said yesterday.
Such a move could have negative implications for European tourism, business and diplomacy if travelers fear there's a possibility of terror attacks.
The State Department will issue a "travel alert" for Europe this morning that advises Americans to stay vigilant on the continent because of threat information, senior US officials told the AP. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a final decision has not been announced.
"This travel alert is a cumulative result of information we have received over an extended period," one senior administration official said. "We are constantly monitoring a range of threat streams and have monitored this and others for some time."
A travel "alert" is less serious than a full "travel warning," which could have big implications. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans in Europe at any one time, including tourists, students and businesspeople.
While the government cannot stop people from traveling there or force them to return home, a formal travel warning could result in canceled airline and hotel bookings as well as deter non-US travelers from going to Europe. In addition, many US college and university study-abroad programs will not send students to countries for which a warning is in place for insurance and liability reasons.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley declined to comment on the matter. But he said the administration remains focused on al-Qaida threats to US interests and will take appropriate steps to protect Americans.
A European official briefed on the talks said the language in the US alert is expected to be vague. It won't address a specific country or specific landmarks, the official said.
European and US officials have not identified any specific targets that terrorists might be considering, the official said. Officials have called the threat credible but not specific. Officials have been concerned that terrorists may be plotting attacks in Europe with assault weapons on public places, similar to the deadly 2008 shooting spree in Mumbai, India.
On Friday, Sweden announced it has raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks. But Swedish security officials said there did not appear to be an immediate threat, nor did they cite any possible targets. In Britain, the security level stood at "severe" - the second highest in a five-step scale - and there were no plans of raising it further, according to a British security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Such a move could have negative implications for European tourism, business and diplomacy if travelers fear there's a possibility of terror attacks.
The State Department will issue a "travel alert" for Europe this morning that advises Americans to stay vigilant on the continent because of threat information, senior US officials told the AP. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a final decision has not been announced.
"This travel alert is a cumulative result of information we have received over an extended period," one senior administration official said. "We are constantly monitoring a range of threat streams and have monitored this and others for some time."
A travel "alert" is less serious than a full "travel warning," which could have big implications. There are hundreds of thousands of Americans in Europe at any one time, including tourists, students and businesspeople.
While the government cannot stop people from traveling there or force them to return home, a formal travel warning could result in canceled airline and hotel bookings as well as deter non-US travelers from going to Europe. In addition, many US college and university study-abroad programs will not send students to countries for which a warning is in place for insurance and liability reasons.
State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley declined to comment on the matter. But he said the administration remains focused on al-Qaida threats to US interests and will take appropriate steps to protect Americans.
A European official briefed on the talks said the language in the US alert is expected to be vague. It won't address a specific country or specific landmarks, the official said.
European and US officials have not identified any specific targets that terrorists might be considering, the official said. Officials have called the threat credible but not specific. Officials have been concerned that terrorists may be plotting attacks in Europe with assault weapons on public places, similar to the deadly 2008 shooting spree in Mumbai, India.
On Friday, Sweden announced it has raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks. But Swedish security officials said there did not appear to be an immediate threat, nor did they cite any possible targets. In Britain, the security level stood at "severe" - the second highest in a five-step scale - and there were no plans of raising it further, according to a British security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
