Japan and Sweden warn citizens about travel to Europe

Japan and Sweden warn citizens about travel to Europe

Japan and Sweden warned its citizens on Monday about a potential attack by al Qaeda-linked terrorists in Europe, after the United States and Britain issued an earlier travel alert for its citizens.

Swedish and Japanese authorities warned travelers to be vigilant and cautious when visiting tourist sites and using public transportation in major cities across Europe.

MI5, the British intelligence agency, has heightened its terror threat to “severe”, meaning a terrorist attack is very likely.

Specifically, British citizens were warned of a “high” threat of terror attacks in Germany and France.

But the Interior Minister of Germany on Monday said that there were no signs of an impending terrorist attack on his country.

Earlier, U.S. officials issued a general travel alert for Americans traveling to and within Europe.

“This is not a warning, a travel warning telling people not to go,” White House spokesman Robert Gibbs clarified. “This is simply to raise awareness, and alertness of those who are there, to report suspicious activity, be very aware of your surroundings.”

The U.S. State Department cited “credible” intelligence reports of an attack, but also said they have no specific information.

American and British security officials have been evaluating intelligence information about a possible attack to European cities, similar to one staged in Mumbai, India in 2008 where 166 people were killed.

Some reports in the U.S. and British media cited officials as saying that they have carried out missile strikes in Pakistan’s mountainous northwest region to thwart the plot.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Tuesday October 05 2010, 8:35 AM EST. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Travel. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0