MOSCOW (AFP) – Russian authorities on Friday warned its citizens against visiting Britain after London raised its threat level in the wake of the Manchester suicide attack.
“The Russian embassy in Great Britain recommends Russian citizens refrain from travelling to the country, especially from visiting major cities, if such trips are not absolutely necessary,” Russia’s state tourism agency said in a statement.
“This is due to the fact that the government of Great Britain has raised the level of the terrorist threat in the country to the maximum possible,” it said.
The agency called on Russians to “take the warnings as seriously as possible” and ordered tour operators to inform their clients about the threat level in the UK.
British police are currently hunting for a jihadist network believed to behind the deadly bombing of in Manchester that killed 22 people.
Manchester-born Salman Abedi launched the attack on young fans attending a concert by US pop star Ariana Grande in the latest atrocity claimed by the Islamic State group in Europe.
Authorities raised the country’s threat level to maximum and deployed soldiers to key sites as Prime Minister Theresa warned that another attack “may be imminent”.
Ties between Moscow and London are currently at their lowest level since the Cold War over the crisis in Ukraine, but Russian leader Vladimir Putin said he was ready to boost anti-terror cooperation with the UK after the bombing.