A Terror alert has been issued by three governments not to travel to Europe, but European officials think they are crying wolf. Image From Wikimedia Commons.
On Sunday, Oct. 3, the United States government issued a terror alert and travel advisory. American citizens that are set to travel abroad are being urged to be cautious of potential threats while traveling in Europe. Similar advisories have been issued by Japan and the United Kingdom. The events behind the terror alert warnings took place in Germany. The German government does not believe any real threat exists.
Japan terror alert issued after American alert
The Japanese government has issued a terror alert to citizens going abroad. The notice is a caution to any Japanese nationals traveling to Europe. People going abroad on holiday or for business purposes have been warned to be cautious in public places. The warning stresses being careful while using public transport and while sightseeing in popular tourist locations, according to the Christian Science Monitor. The Japan terror alert was issued a day after the U.S. State Department issued a similar caution. A U.K. terror alert was also issued after the announcement from Washington. The C.I.A. hasn’t released a statement yet.
Threat traced to Germany
The uncovering of an Al Qaeda plot for terrorist strikes in European cities began with the arrest of a German citizen, according to CNN. Ahmed Sidiqi, Algerian by descent, left Hamburg for Pakistan in 2009 with 10 others, where they were recruited by a jihadist group. They went into Afghanistan to fight coalition forces, where Sidiqi was captured. Sidiqi had converted to Sunni from Shia, and began attending the Taiba mosque in Hamburg. The group was recruited from there. The Taiba mosque is known for being the mosque attended by Mohammed Atta, who was the leader among the men involved in the 9/11 attacks.
Threat level
Three governments take the terror alert level seriously. So far, the German intelligence services remain skeptical. The German government has assured that it is completely safe to go to either Hamburg or Stuttgart if one pleases.
