US Warns Americans on Travel to Europe

State Department Cites Possible Terror Attacks

by Jason Ditz, October 03, 2010

The US State Department today issued a formal warning cautioning Americans about the dangers of travel to the entire continent of Europe, citing last week’s non-specific reports of a possible terrorist plot being unhatched somewhere in Europe or North America.

Officials insist the warning is not intended to discourage Americans from traveling to Europe in general and that there are no current plans to issue a stronger warning attempting to do so. European officials expressed concern that the warning might harm tourism.

Britain, meanwhile, sought to be slightly more specific, issuing its own travel warnings on France and Germany. Officials say the warning is based on the American one, and neither is based on any new information above and beyond last week’s reports.

The warning cautioned that attackers, possibly from Europe or Central Asia but likely with European passports might attempt to launch a “Mumbai-style” attack on a soft target in Europe or North America. Officials said the threat was “credible but non-specific.” Pakistan insisted that the information intercepted indicated it was more a general aspiration than an actual plot.

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