U.S. authorities are warning travelers to be careful in Europe, after intelligence officials uncovered evidence that al Qaeda may be planning a series of Mumbai-style attacks. State Department officials emphasized that they were not asking Americans to avoid travel to European countries — many of which have raised their domestic threat levels to "high" — but simply to take some precautions, such as registering with U.S. embassies and staying away from civil disturbances. With so few specifics, should they have bothered with the warning at all? (Watch an AP report about the terror warning)
Yes, the danger is very real: The United Kingdom alone has just uncovered several terrorist plots in "rapid succession," says Delia Lloyd at Politics Daily. And rising fears of Muslim immigrant groups are pushing tensions so high in Sweden, Germany, France, and Britain that violence could erupt even if terrorists don't strike. At this point, Europe is a "powder keg."
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