American tourists thinking of travelling to Europe this summer have been warned they may be at risk of terror attacks across the continent.
The broad warning by the U.S. State Department applies to the whole of the continent for the next three months, and tells tourists to be wary of major events, city centres, restaurants and public transport.
The Times reports that two big events singled out are the European Championship football tournament in France and World Youth Day 2016, the Catholic youth event in Krakow, Poland, with the warning that large numbers of people gathered in one place would present “greater targets for terrorists planning attacks in public locations”.
It event raises the prospect of coordinated attacks across the continent.
“Euro Cup stadiums, fan zones and unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournaments in France and across Europe represent potential targets for terrorists, as do other large-scale sporting events and public gathering places throughout Europe,” the advice says.
Nearly three million Americans visit Britain every year, according to Visit Britain, with almost 12 million visiting the European continent.
Raffaello Pantucci, director of international security studies at the Royal United Services Institute, said: “I think it reflects the reality of the threat picture in Europe… If you look at France alone in the past year, you’ve had attacks and attempted attacks on public, in museums, attacks in music halls, attempted attacks at religious sites, attacks on random police officers. So it’s a very broad threat picture. Isis has given people a pretty broad direction — find a gun, find a lot of people and just shoot.”
A spokeswoman for Visit Britain said: “The UK threat level from international terrorism has not been raised. Theatres, restaurants, hotels, attractions and shops are open as usual. Airports, ports, airlines and public transport are operating normally.”
The advice comes just over a month after the U.S. embassy in Sweden told citizens to avoid crowded spaces, stating: “Terrorist groups continue to plan near-term attacks throughout Europe, targeting sporting events, tourist sites, restaurants, and transportation… be aware of immediate surroundings and avoid crowded places.”
Around 163,000 migrants came to Sweden last year as a result of the European migrant crisis although, as Breitbart London reported this morning, fewer than 500 of them have actually found work.
Islamic State militants have been known to use the employment service in the city of Malmö as a recruitment facility. One reception worker was discovered last year to have spoken with unemployed Muslims, telling them about Islamic State and distributing leaflets.
Sweden’s intelligence services took to monitoring employment services after the incident was discovered.
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