Travelers Frustrated With Ambiguity Of Travel Alert

The US State Department issued a travel alert on Sunday as reports show that Al-Qaeda is preparing to launch an attack on Europe.  

Americans are wondering what they should do in Europe. The department has advised them to “be aware of their surroundings” and “adopt appropriate safety measures to protect themselves when traveling". The potential targets of the plot include railways, subways, ships, aircraft and any other “tourist infrastructure”.

The ambiguity of the alert, which was issued after extensive discussions within the Obama administration, represents the dilemma faced by the authorities in Europe and the US over how to inform the public of a terror threat that intelligence agencies declare likely but not imminent.

The authorities don’t want themselves to be blamed for hiding the information they have but they also don’t want to create unnecessary panic. The outcome is frustrating for both travelers and anti-terrorism experts.

Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick F. Kennedy told journalists on Sunday that the alert was not meant to discourage people from traveling to Europe, but just to insist on “common-sense precautions”.

A US anti-terrorism official, speaking under the condition of anonymity, said that the ambiguity of the alert precisely embodied authorities’ uncertainty over the imminence of the threat as well as the intended targets of the attack. “The threat to Europe is credible and of concern, but — as the general nature of the threat alert issued today suggests — the complete picture of possible terrorist plotting there hasn’t yet emerged”.