By David Stewart White
UPDATED 3 October, 2010
The United States government has issued a terrorism-related "travel alert" for Americans traveling in Europe. The alert follows a week of heightened security — particularly in France, Germany, and Britain — reportedly because of a plot to carry out mass attacks in Europe. Western intelligence reports allegedly indicate that al-Qaida-affiliated gunmen were planning attacks in one or more European countries.
The alert reminds U.S. citizens in Europe to of the "...potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. Terrorists have targeted and attacked subway and rail systems, as well as aviation and maritime services." The alert does not advise Americans to avoid European travel, nor does it provide the specific information about the nature and target of the terrorist threats. Much of this information, along with speculation, was highlighted in the U.S. and European media during the previous week.
A travel alert is issued by the U.S. State Department "...to disseminate information about short-term conditions, either transnational or within a particular country, that pose significant risks to the security of U.S. citizens," according to the State Department website. The State Department provides this plain English explanation about its travel warnings:
We issue Travel Alerts for short-term events we think you should know about when planning travel to a country.
A travel alert is one step below a Travel Warning. In the words of the State Department:
We issue a Travel Warning when we want you to consider very carefully whether you should go to a country at all.
A travel warning for Europe would be a difficult political decision for the U.S. government. Travel warnings would likely result in significant cancellations of travel plans by American tourists, school groups, and others.
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