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WASHINGTON — The Obama administration formally warned Americans Sunday about potential terrorist attacks in Europe, urging U.S. citizens to be careful on public transportation and at tourist sites.
The State Department "travel alert" stops short of advising Americans to stay away from Europe or to take precautions in any specific country, city or activity. The administration said nothing about an increased possibility of an attack in the USA. "We are not — repeat, not — advising Americans not to go to Europe," State Department Undersecretary Patrick Kennedy said. "This is an alert. We put out alerts to ensure that American citizens are aware of possible incidents." The 286-word alert comes as European countries have issued their own warnings, some focusing on a potential strike similar to the attack in November 2008 in Mumbai, India, by armed commandos who targeted the train station and popular hotels, killing 166. Paris police evacuated the Eiffel Tower twice last week after bomb threats, and Sweden raised its terror threat level Friday.
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Sunday, the British Foreign Office refined its warnings about travel to France and Germany, saying those countries face a "high threat of terrorism" instead of a "general threat" that British authorities had previously cited. The U.S. travel alert names no countries and is unusual in focusing on an entire continent, which includes 40 countries from Iceland to Ukraine. "Usually advisories are country-specific," said Steve Lott of the International Air Transport Association, which represents international airlines. The alert gives few details about threats and largely repeats recent statements by officials such as FBI Director Robert Mueller and National Counterterrorism Center Director Michael Leiter about al-Qaeda's continuing interest in attacking the USA and Europe. "Current information suggests that al-Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks," the alert states. "U.S. citizens are reminded of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation and other tourist infrastructure." The alert suggests that citizens register with the U.S. consulate or embassy in the country they are visiting so officials will know how to find citizens in case of an attack. Kennedy of the State Department said Sunday's alert was issued after "intensive discussion" in recent weeks with allies "about the nature of the ongoing threat." Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI issued a joint bulletin to law enforcement colleagues across the USA, alerting them to the threat activity in Europe, said federal officials who had reviewed the bulletin but were not authorized to comment publicly. "Europe is the most likely place for terrorists to hit because they've got so many people in place over there," said Randall Larsen, a terrorism expert who heads the Commission on the Prevention of Weapons of Mass Destruction Proliferation and Terrorism. "It's still a little bit of a challenge for them to get over here." The alert, which remains in place until Jan. 31, could deter tourists, said Christine Cantera, a France-based expert for the travel site WhyGoFrance.com. "I think it will impact travel to France, as for many people France is inevitably Paris — and there are few places with such high-profile targets," Cantera said by e-mail. "I don't think people who are in December holiday-planning mode are going to be putting Paris at the top of their list right now." Student travel groups and companies could be most reluctant to travel to Europe because they have legal responsibility to travelers, said Henry Harteveldt, a travel analyst with Forrester Research. People who go to Europe should allow more time to clear airport security and customs and prepare for "possible changes in hours at museums and on public transportation," Harteveldt said. Tens of thousands of students are in Europe at any given time, according to the Institute on International Education. The institute's most recent figures, for 2007-08, show 120,000 students in England, Italy, Spain, France, Germany and Ireland. Stacy Small, owner of Elite Travel International travel agency in Brentwood, Calif., said travelers "should always be vigilant" and should view the alert "as a wake-up call rather than a threat to their safety."
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