UK holidaymakers have been warned they face a threat from the Islamic State, no matter where they are in the world. The Foreign Office issued a global terror warning, stating that tourists could be targeted in revenge for UK strikes in the Middle East.
The updated alert reflects an increase in the threat posed to UK
nationals abroad, with the warning applying to every country in
the world. It states that there is a generalized threat towards
British citizens, rather than a specific risk based on
intelligence gathered.
"There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist
attack globally against UK interests and British nationals from
groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and
Syria," the statement from the Foreign Office said. "You
should be vigilant at this time."
The Foreign Office continues to provide travel warnings to
individual countries, such as Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic
State (IS) has taken over large areas of territory in both
nations. However, due to coalition airstrikes against the
militant group, there are now fears that Britons could become
targets for Islamist sympathizers abroad, even in those countries
which have traditionally had good relations with the UK.
In August, the UK’s national security threat was raised to its
second highest rating due to risks posed by British IS fighters
returning home from Syria and Iraq. British Prime Minister David
Cameron even went as far as saying that those militants pose the
country’s greatest ever security risk.
It is believed that around 500 British citizens have traveled to
the Middle East to fight for the group formally known as ISIS. On
October 29, a 21-year-old from London was arrested on the
suspicion that he was assisting others to engage in terrorist
activities abroad. Earlier in October, four British Islamist
militants went on trial after they had plotted to kill policemen
or soldiers. All four of those arrested had pledged allegiance to
IS.