WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Sunday warned Americans of potential terrorist threats in Europe and urged them to be vigilant in public places, including tourist spots and transportation hubs.
A State Department travel alert advises U.S. citizens living or traveling in Europe to take more precautions about their personal security. The alert is one step below a formal travel warning advising Americans not to visit Europe.
“Current information suggests that al-Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks,” it said. “European governments have taken action to guard against a terrorist attack and some have spoken publicly about the heightened threat conditions.”
It noted in particular “the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure.”
“U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling,” the department said.
Britain’s Foreign Office upgraded its travel advice for France and Germany, warning Britons going to those countries that the threat of terrorism there is high. Before Sunday’s change, the government’s travel advice for France and Germany was that the threat from terror attacks there was “general.” Gemany’s Interior Ministry said it saw no need to change its assessment of risks to the country and there were “still no concrete indications of imminent attacks” there.
Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May said that the threat of terrorism in the U.K. remains unchanged at “severe,” meaning an attack is highly likely.
U.S. and European security experts have been concerned for days that terrorists may be plotting attacks in Europe with assault weapons on public places, similar to the deadly 2008 shooting spree in Mumbai, India.
“The terrorist threat exists, and could hit us at any moment,” the French defense minister, Herve Morin, said in an interview published Sunday. “Networks organizing themselves to prepare attacks are constantly being dismantled around the world. It is good for the French to know this,” he was quoted as saying in the daily Le Parisien.
The U.S. notice said terrorists “may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests” and noted past attacks against subways, rail systems and aviation and maritime services.
“U.S. citizens should take every precaution to be aware of their surroundings and to adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling,” according to the alert.
The alert fell short of a formal travel warning, which could have broader implications including a stronger likelihood of canceled airline and hotel bookings, and wasn’t intended to urge travelers to stay away from public places. Europeans and some members of the Obama administration had viewed that as an overreaction.
The alert could hurt European tourism and affect business travel. But there hadn’t been strong opposition to the proposed alert from European leaders, who privately have been advised of the impending action, a European official said.
There are hundreds of thousands of Americans in Europe at any one time, including tourists, students and businesspeople. For insurance and liability reasons, many U.S. college and university study-abroad programs will not send students to countries for where a warning is in effect.
U.S.. intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden is behind the terror plots to attack several European cities. If true, this would be the most operational role that bin Laden has played in plotting attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.
Eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of an al-Qaida-linked terror plot against European cities, but the plan is still in its early stages, with the suspects calling acquaintances in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday. 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 U.S. has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.
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Comments (55)
NHABE64
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 7:04pmObama is a wimp and a cockroach but this social agenda is scary and his friends are perhaps even scarier. On 2 November America will decide exactly what they want for their future. America wil speak and their voices will be heard. Its not too late to send cockroach and Aunt Jemima packing.
As for the warnings about going to Europe, perhaps the moslems in the US should be warned about their safety. Americans are definitely getting sick and tired of these people trying to pretend they are all good “folks” while supporting the Moslem Brotherhood. Our friends my butt.
Report Post »Capt_Spalding
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 6:34pmMeanwhile our Jackass-in-Chief tells the world we can “absorb” a terror attack.
Report Post »ARCHON
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:56pmDid the “Administration” define the “suspects” in Europe as WHITE CHRISTIAN MALES RETURNING FROM MILITARY SERVICE like they did here at Home?
Report Post »Mary M. Tebbe
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:46pmWe are going to need a strong male presence voted into the White House in 2012 and one that is a hawk. One that won’t be going around the world apologizing for America. When we have a weak president the rest of the world trembles, because they look to the leader of the free world as a symbol of strength. I for one won’t feel safe again until we have a Republican back in the White House. I am a birther and I don’t believe that Obama is a true president of this country. I read what Orly Taitz has on her site about this issue, and I sure hope she can finally get some attention in the courts on it. The fake social security number really bothers me, along with the lack of transparency about many things regarding Obama: passport information, school records, etc. It will all come out eventually.
Report Post »Osama feels embolden and threatens us still because he knows the democrats stance on the war. Americans just need to always be vigilant. We have many enemies in the world.
imareader
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:36pmBy the way, while the State Department is issuing travel alerts for Europe, is anybody else wondering why they haven’t issued the same for U.S.citizens living or traveling in Mexico or along the American side of the border?
Report Post »Oh, I forgot.That’s different..these Narco/terrorists are only trying to support their families and build a better life…my bad.
Colorado man apparently killed by Mexican pirates.
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_16232117
Grenade attack in Mexico injures 12 people
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20101003/ts_nm/us_mexico_violence
RobertCA
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:34pmThe Government is warning US citizens in Europe , nice to see that the government is so worried about the safety of US citizens , so how come the government is NOT worried about US citizens along our Southern Borders from Radical Muslim Terrorists crossing our WIDE OPEN Borders ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
Report Post »Hello !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Janet is it time for you to wake up or you’re still taking a nap about our Borders issue ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
DEFCON1
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:16pmWas stationed in Germany, 1977-80, in the USAF. We were constantly alerted to be vigilant and aware of the terrorist threat from the Red Army Faction and from Baader-Meinhof . Things have not changed in Europe over the years, Europe was a mess then as it is today.
What we did to aviod confrontation in those days was to wear shirts with Maple leafs and Canadian slogans, nobody bothers to “bother” Canadians, so we went about life and had little problem.
I was not then and will not now ….allow domestic or foreign moonbats to infringe on my rights. Use the power of the vote to rid ourselves of domestic vermin. Vote in the conservative representative to change the way we deal with foreign scum. Walk softly and carry a big stick. Hate to quote Teddy, but, that policy worked then and will work today. We the people are coming for OUR government.
Report Post »missmarie
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:05pmI would like to issue my own travel alert for those wishing to take a lovely Sunday drive today:
Be careful when traveling to the flooded areas along east coast-it’s wet; north and south areas of the USA where terrorist and gang activities abound – we have invited dangerous people to live there on your dime; portions of Arizona on high alert for the danger posed to US citizens – the government has no intention of protecting you, you are on your own; California or Washington or New York where election-related demonstrations and violence are a perpetual occurrence – if you see water bottles being thrown by young men and women wearing masks, duck and run; and, little league football games and other youth sporting events where fans and coaches and referees could break out into a riot over one bad call – grab your kid and get out of there.
Other than that, feel free to move about America.
Report Post »grnhrn
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 4:50pmThis is for the liberal 9-11 conpirist fools. My new theory: democrats conspired together and with our enemies to committ a terrorist attack including clinton he did wave capture or killing of bin laden. And seems to have a lot of funds coming from there o imean friends over there. They waited for bush to dig us out of clintons dot com bubble and needed something big to get dem into both houses to start the ruin of our economy and defenses to pave the way wait for it…ONE WORLD ORDER. I do have one question why can‘t and shouldn’t it be american rule ” of law,liberty,freedom of opression that limit our choice including religion,sexual preference,occupation,charitable donating.
Report Post »TattooQ
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:18pmAl Gore must be rejoicing today . An ally at last !! Somebody else is finally buying the global warming bovine scatology that he’s peddling .
Report Post »NoName22
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:55pmManbearpig.
Report Post »joseph Fawcett
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:17pmHow about issuing a travel warning for our boarders to Mexico in Texas and Arizona. hear about the couple that got shot at and they kill the husband. Why bother warning about over seas when they won’t secure our own boarders
hope you can take a look at my website, http://www.josephfawcettart.com. It would help in my website ratings on the search engines. I hope you will like seeing my artwork too. Thanks!
Report Post »Recon
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:50pmyep, w/ friends like Osama bin Laden, who needs enemies?
Soros, Strong, bin Laden, GORE…and the global alarmists should be put out with the curbside trash.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:41pmDon’t post it. I don’t care, God is going to do what God does.
Report Post »Ironmaan
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:06pmYes he’ll do what he does, but he doesn‘t expect you to take an I don’t care, do nothing, defeatist position.
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:40pmOr maybe just don’t go over there?
Report Post »Eliasim
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:39pmOr maybe don’t even go over there, and if you do you probably have more to fear from that crooked serpent Levi’athan.
Report Post »2
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:38pmAny American in Europe and they don’t have to be there are Morons. Mostly Libterds.
Report Post »I say stay there and stop trying to change our Country.
Ironmaan
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:37pmWhile being vigilant please ignore any inclination toward self preservation by assuming Muslims may be the ones to perpetrate an act of terror. Remember… Islam is a peaceful religion.
Report Post »BRAVEHEART
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:57pmRight muslims only kill INFIDELS – That‘s anyone who doesn’t submit to their globalist tyrannical Religion of love and peace!
Report Post »Mary M. Tebbe
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:20pmToday the pastor that we watch on television every Sunday morning said that Aljazeera (hope I spelled that right), the Muslim media site said that over 16,000 Muslims are coming to the Lord daily in the Muslim world. Thank God for Christian television!
Report Post »There will only be peace in the world when people learn how to be peaceful people.
Last week I told this website that Allah was a false god known to the Arabs long before Mohammed was born. I called Islam a recycled religion, because to unite the Muslim world Mohammed gave them one false god to worship instead of the many false gods that the Arabs already were worshiping. This ancient name Allah belonged to their false god known as the sun-god. In ancient times the sun-god went by many other names. One such name was Baal the sun-god of the Phoenician/Canaanites. This information can be found on the internet if anyone is interested in looking it up. When more Muslims realize this perhaps they will reconsider their worshiping an old sun-god. Not only did Mohammed give them the name of this old false god, but he also gave them a different story to go along with it. I also noted last week that Mohammed was completely illiterate.
baldwin4freedom
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:59pmThe more that we demand for peace on earth the less peace follows.
The mistake that many people make is by trying to force their religious beliefs upon others. It is not our place to pass judgement upon another individuals or societies religious beliefs. The only direction to follow is to live by example within our own lives and then those around us will come with open hearts.
Finding God is an individual’s life long journey. There are those that find God early in life, while a few find God at death, the majority find God somewhere inbetween and there are some that never find God at all. Remember, God only has close relationships with individuals and we do not know anyone elses individual standing with God. When we accept that fact, and only then, will the door open for others to follow.
Report Post »N37BU6
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:31pmI can tell you one thing- I don’t miss living in England.
(On another note, The Blaze really beefed up the server here for the One Nation coverage… this site has been handling the traffic load perfectly all day. It’s better than usual, actually. Pat your webmasters on the back, Glenn!)
Report Post »CatB
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 8:37pmAgreed … big Kudos to the “team”!
Report Post »Ironmaan
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:26pmReligion of peace alert! Yes…be on the lookout for peaceful Muslims possibly loaded up with shoe bombs, underwear bombs, or just your basic vest type explosive.
Report Post »BRAVEHEART
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:47pmApparently Muslims believe that soaking the ground with American blood helps prepare the soil for all the bridge building they keep talking about!
Report Post »Zcat
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:19pmI’m leary of anything coming out of this administration! Something is a little odd to me on this one!
And does anyone eles find it strange we have Osama bin Laden slumming for climate change, (aka) Globel Warming? I wouldn‘t be the least bit surprized if the Obama administration wasn’t behind this one!
Report Post »Freelancer
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:42pmI said the same thing about bin-Laden and the global warming thing…. Some old got sitting in a cave in the lawless tribal region of the Pakistan/Afghanistan border is issuing statements about climate change? Yeah, I buy that one. Maybe there is a secret cave-phone that goes directly to Al Gore and he promised bin-Laden some of the excessive cheese he is going to make on Cap and Trade to be used for further terror attacks.
Report Post »LadyLibertea
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:51pmIt annoyed me A LOT that Osama got any news whatsoever from the video or videos he made. Why is ANYONE giving that freak any power?? Everytime they show his videos around the world they are giving him power. I really wish we had a Patton type leader in charge. We could have ended this war years ago if we had just gone in and done what our military is capable of doing. Instead we’re over there *****-footing around and more of our valuable men and women are dying by the sword of these neandrethals.
Report Post »baldwin4freedom
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 5:21pmIt is because he understands that global warming legislation will knock the U.S. down a notch or two in the world. It will help weaken us, further.
Report Post »BRAVEHEART
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:14pmLot’s of demonstrations & rioting in Europe. The Socialist Unions are throwing a hissee! Their socialist liberal Governments are BROKE!! This is what the progressives here are buss-in and stumpin for, and flaunting their diversity for!
Report Post »Greg the Electrician
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:04pmWe’re in more danger at the Chicago Airport or downtown Chicago, than in Europe.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 1:51pmSocialist Liberal Progressive Democrats should go to Europe and verify if these are Terror Threats or just Rhetoric. According to the SLPD we’re not at war against Terrorist.
Report Post »poverty.sucks
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 1:59pmStatement by Harry Belafonte there’s only 50 terrorist in Afghanistan. By that statement alone, he acknowledged there’s a problem, and he knows excactly who they are, therefore, with Harry Belafonte cooperation he shall point out who the 50 people are and the terrorist threats will cease.
Report Post »Freelancer
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 2:33pmAnd therein lies the problem. The WANT us to think that we are not at war because that is politically expedient for them. They have known abut this threat for several days and while Europe has been on alert, the Speech Giver sat on the information trying how to politically handle it rather than just issue the damn alert. Every time he decides to hold something back because he’s too afraid of how the left will perceive his actions, he puts people at risk. He makes me sick!
Report Post »Marylou7
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 1:51pmThey don’t have to worry about me going to Europe, haven’t lost a thing there. Do wish our progressives would buy a one way ticket though.
Report Post »europeanconservative
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 4:41pmI hope not, we have enough garbage like that here already. All the media here are stupid lefties, it is really hard to be a conservative in Europe. BTW great rally on saturday!!! Kind of remind me of all the union meetings we’ve here in the last few weeks (Ireland). What a bunch of looooosers. Embarassing stuff, especially in the end when all the union members left and just the hardcore stayed:)
Report Post »CatB
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 8:35pmThe same Europe that Obama wants to turn us into? Gee I can’t see terrorism increasing here … Ft. Hood, Time Square, Reqruiting Center, Detroit Underwear Bomber …. OOPS.
Report Post »TruthTalker
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 1:51pmI grow weary of this….
Report Post »FreedomOfSpeech
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:10pmJust in time for the election!
Does anyone believe the whole Stuxnet story as reported in the mainstream media? Do you think it’s possible that Iran did it themselves to justify an attack on the West?
Video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Adg4chwKkM
I’m not usually one for conspiracy theories but this makes me wonder.
FreedomOfSpeech
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:20pmBy the way, anyone reading The Roots of Obama’s Rage? Scary book, man.
Report Post »NoName22
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 3:58pmTo back you up on theories Freedom, Stuxnet hit sometime last week…..Ahmadinejad went on the podium at the mideast summit talking about his 9/11 theory, basically saying the U.S. pulled an inside job to get more of a foothold in the middle east.
Again, today or yesterday he spoke that up again. Just seems to go hand in hand.
Report Post »FreedomOfSpeech
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 8:06pm@Noname I know I’m probably wrong on this one. Just don’t like it when MSM makes assumptions without evidence. There‘s no evidence about anyone doing Stuxnet but it’s being reported that the West did it. I just think people need to show restraint when reporting “news” that is not based in fact.
Report Post »Large Eagle
Posted on October 3, 2010 at 9:41pm@Truthtalker – I am like you – when I find myself finished with the article I am void of words. Great job backing him up gang – This is great therapy.
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