US warns of heightened European terror risk over holidays
State Department cautions citizens of IS efforts to execute attacks in public places, urges increased awareness at major events
The US State Department warned Americans abroad Monday of a heightened risk of terror attacks in Europe during the holiday season.
“Credible information indicates the Islamic State…al-Qaeda and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events,” the department said in its latest travel alert. “US citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathizers or self-radicalized extremists may conduct attacks during this period with little or no warning. Terrorists may employ a wide variety of tactics, using both conventional and non-conventional weapons and targeting both official and private interests.”
It particularly warned of a higher risk of attack at large holiday events, tourist attractions and other public spaces. “Avoid large crowds, when possible,” the warning noted.
“European authorities continue to conduct raids and disrupt terror plots. We continue to work closely with our European allies on the threat from international terrorism.”
On Monday France’s interior minister said anti-terrorism police have arrested seven men in Strasbourg and Marseille who had links to Syria and had been plotting an attack on France for several months.
A series of arrests in June and this past Sunday put an end to the plot and “allowed us to thwart a terrorist act that had been envisaged for a long time on our soil,” Bernard Cazeneuve told reporters in Paris.
France remains under a state of emergency imposed after deadly Islamic State attacks on Paris last year.
The suspects are believed to have initially wanted to target the Euro 2016 European soccer tournament earlier this year but later focused on another target, possibly in Paris or Marseille, according to a security official. The official was not authorized to be publicly named speaking about ongoing investigations.
The June arrests involved people behind financing the alleged attack plot, while the Sunday arrests targeted the operational team, and both groups were under orders from unidentified commanders in Syria, the official said. Weapons were also seized in Sunday’s arrests, the official said.
Cazeneuve said investigators are studying whether the thwarted attack was part of a larger plot to attack multiple sites simultaneously.
The arrests rattled nerves in Strasbourg because they came just five days before the opening of the city’s famed Christmas market, which attracts tourists from across Europe and was the target of a failed extremist plot in 2000 by Algerian and French militants who had trained in Afghanistan.
However, Mayor Roland Ries said the case had no direct link to the market, so the event will open as usual Friday under heavy security.
French police have detained 418 people this year in terrorism investigations, Cazeneuve said.
“In the face of a threat that remains very high in France, everything is being done, at every moment, to protect the French,” President Francois Hollande said in a statement about the new arrests.
The Times of Israel Community.