State Department Issues Worldwide Travel Alert

State Department issues travel alert

A worldwide travel alert was issued on Thursday by the U.S. State Department, warning Americans “of the potential for anti-U.S. demonstrations in many countries”  following plans of a small Christian church in Florida to burn copies of the Koran this Saturday.

Pastor Terry Jones told media later Thursday that their plans have been cancelled following pressure from President Barack Obama and religious leaders.

“We have agreed to cancel our event on Saturday,” Jones said during a news conference in Gainesville.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates called Jones urging him to cancel his plan after talking with Obama and other officials, according to Geoff Morrell, spokesman for the Pentagon.

Morrell said that the secretary expressed “his grave concern that going forward with this Koran burning puts the lives of our forces at risk, especially in Iraq and Afghanistan and urged him not to proceed.”

The travel advisory stated, “Demonstrations, some violent, have already taken place in several countries, including Afghanistan and Indonesia, in response to media reports of the church's plans.”

“The potential for further protests and demonstrations, some of which may turn violent, remains high. We urge you to pay attention to local reaction to the situation, and to avoid areas where demonstrations will take place,” the State Department said.

The department also reiterated that there is a “continuing threat of U.S. interests and citizens posed by various terrorist groups.”

American facilities overseas are at a heightened state of alert and may close down “to assess their security posture.”

The State Department urged American citizens living or traveling around the world to register with the nearest U.S. Embassy through the department's website.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Friday September 10 2010, 11:05 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0