UK tourists are to receive more specific warnings about potential terror targets abroad in the wake of the Berlin attacks.
The Foreign Office has announced plans to issue British travellers with more detailed advice about the risks they face abroad.
Last month the US state department warned Americans travelling in Europe over Christmas that there was credible evidence that so-called Islamic State (IS) and other terror groups were planning an attack.
They encouraged their citizens to be vigilant around "holiday festivals, events and outdoor markets".
Now the Foreign Office has said that it will reform how it issues travel advice to include more information about targets and the likelihood of an attack.
Tourists will also be told the locations of previous attacks, the tactics terrorists have used, which groups are thought to be active in the area and what the host country is doing to actively counter the threat.
The changes are due to be phased in in the coming months.
In a written ministerial statement the Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said that the threat from terrorism was “evolving”.
The main international terrorist groups, Daesh, Al Qaeda and their affiliates, “continue to pose a threat to UK interests globally, including British travellers”, he added.
In particular, there has been a “growth of so called “lone wolf” attacks”, like that in Berlin, “which are difficult to predict and disrupt and could take place in almost any country”.
He added: "I am confident that these changes will ensure our travel advice continues to provide effective information to help British travellers make informed decisions about their personal travel plans and security overseas. Our travel advice will continue to reflect the best judgements we can make on the information available to us at the time."
In November the State Department warned U.S. citizens to be alert "to the heightened risk of terrorist attacks throughout Europe, particularly during the holiday season. U.S. citizens should exercise caution at holiday festivals, events, and outdoor markets."
It added: "Credible information indicates the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or Da'esh), al-Qa'ida, and their affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in Europe, with a focus on the upcoming holiday season and associated events. U.S. citizens should also be alert to the possibility that extremist sympathisers or self-radicalised 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."
The Foreign Office updated its travel advice for Germany shortly after the Berlin attack.
It warned tourists to avoid the immediate area and "remain vigilant and follow the advice of local authorities".
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel