Europe On High Alert for Terrorism Attack

Britain Raises Terror Warning; US Cautions Travelers

VOA News Britain on Sunday warned of the "high" threat of terrorism for its nationals in France and Germany, hours after the United States issued an alert cautioning Americans of the potential for terror attacks in Europe.

The British Foreign Office in a statement increased the terror threat level to "high" from the "general" threat previously identified.  It also said attacks could be "indiscriminate" and could include places frequented by foreign travelers.

Earlier Sunday, the U.S. government issued an alert cautioning Americans of the potential for terrorist attacks in Europe from al-Qaida and its affiliates. The U.S. alert is general in nature and does not single out individual countries.

In recent days, Western intelligence officials said they had uncovered a plot by al-Qaida-linked Pakistan-based militants to carry out terrorist attacks in major British, French and German cities.

Western news reports said the plot was in its early stages.

Those reports cited calls for armed militants to attack public places in a manner similar to the terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008.  Heavily-armed Islamic militants stormed multiple sites in that incident, killing 166 people.

The State Department warning reminded U.S. citizens of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure, and called on travelers to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings.

The alert falls short of a travel "warning" that could lead Americans to cancel holidays and other trips to Europe.  

Intelligence officials said some recent U.S. drone attacks on militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region were aimed at thwarting the plot.