US set to issue Europe terror alert

Published on Saturday 2 October 2010 20:24

THE US government was last night reported to be on the brink of issuing a travel warning for American citizens to avoid public places in Europe because of al-Qaeda terror threats.

• A plot to target European cities was reported last week. Pic: Getty

The State Department was said to be considering a warning as early as today advising Americans to stay away from European tourist sites, transportation hubs and landmarks, US officials said last night.

A European official briefed on the talks said the US alert is expected to be vague, and not address specific countries or landmarks, leading to fears that a blanket travel warning may affect tourism in Europe. Officials have called the threat credible but not specific.

The move follows reports last week that a plot to target European cities with Mumbai-style attacks had been discovered. It was not known last night if the US had new intelligence or they were simply reacting to the reports.

The European official said there had not been strong opposition to the proposed alert from European leaders.

Intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden is behind the terror plots to attack several European cities.

Eight Germans and two British brothers are said to be at the heart of the terror plot, which, according to Pakistani intelligence, is still in the early stages of planning.

One of the Britons died in a recent CIA missile strike, he said. The Pakistani official said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where militancy is rife and where the US has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.

State Department spokesman PJ Crowley said: "We remain focused on al-Qaeda's interest in attacking us and attacking our allies. We will do everything possible to thwart them and will take steps as appropriate."

Paul Wilkinson, Emeritus Professor of International Relations at St Andrews University, who also works at the university's world renowned Centre for Terrorism and Political Violence said that a blanket warning would be "unprecedented".

However, he said the warning appears to be "over the top", adding that European security services are experienced in dealing with terror threats.

He said: "Supposing these reports are accurate, and that has not yet been confirmed, I think that one could safely say that if they really believe that this is necessary they must be very confident of the intelligence they have discovered. However, I must say I think this kind of blanket warning is rather over the top."

However, Clive Fairweather, former SAS Colonel and deputy commander during the 1980 Iranian embassy siege, said that the warning could have been to deter terrorists from launching attacks. He added that the warning could be to safeguard the security services for accusations of not taking potential threats seriously.

He said: "There's obviously been intelligence chatter in the Middle East and Pakistan and elsewhere. There are indications that something is in the wind.I don't think we take a cue from the Obama administration. I think we take a cue from our own security services in relation to Britain and Scotland."