Al-Qaida threats in Europe prompt warnings for Americans

WASHINGTON – The Obama administration will warn U.S. citizens to be vigilant as they travel in Europe, providing updated guidance prompted by al-Qaida threats, American and European officials told the Associated Press on Saturday.

Such a move could have negative implications for European tourism, business and diplomacy if travelers fear there’s a possibility of terror attacks.

The State Department will issue a “travel alert” for Europe this morning that advises Americans to stay vigilant on the continent because of threat information, senior U.S. officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because a final decision has not been announced.

“This travel alert is a cumulative result of information we have received over an extended period,” one senior administration official said. “We are constantly monitoring a range of threat streams and have monitored this and others for some time.”

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley declined to comment on the matter. But he said the administration remains focused on al-Qaida threats to U.S. interests and will take appropriate steps to protect Americans.

A European official briefed on the talks said the language in the U.S. alert is expected to be vague. It won’t address a specific country or specific landmarks, the official said.

European and U.S. officials have not identified any specific targets that terrorists might be considering, the official said. Officials have called the threat credible but not specific. Officials have been concerned that terrorists may be plotting attacks in Europe with assault weapons on public places, similar to the deadly 2008 shooting spree in Mumbai, India.

On Friday, Sweden announced it has raised its threat alert to the highest level ever because of an increased threat of terror attacks. But Swedish security officials said there did not appear to be an immediate threat, nor did they cite any possible targets. In Britain, the security level stood at “severe” – the second highest in a five-step scale – and there were no plans of raising it further, according to a British security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

The U.S. has told European leaders that the State Department alert would be intended to raise the guidance to match the information about the would-be attack that surfaced last week, the European official said.

There had not been strong opposition to the proposed alert from European leaders, the European official said.

But some U.S. allies in Europe expressed concern that the U.S. might include a warning for Americans to stay away from public places in Europe, saying that would be an overreaction to the threat information. The White House adamantly denied such a blanket warning was being considered.

Intelligence officials believe Osama bin Laden is behind the terror plots to attack several European cities. If this is true, this would be the most operational role that bin Laden has played in plotting attacks since Sept. 11, 2001.

Eight Germans and two British brothers are at the heart of an al-Qaida-linked terror plot against European cities, but the plan is still in its early stages, with the suspects calling acquaintances in Europe to plan logistics, a Pakistani intelligence official said Thursday. One of the Britons died in a recent CIA missile strike, he said. The Pakistani official said the suspects are hiding in North Waziristan, a Pakistani tribal region where the U.S. has focused many of its drone-fired missile strikes.