UK Foreign Office Warns British Tourists Abroad Are 'Terrorism Targets' After Airstrikes on ISIS

UK Home Secretary - Theresa May

British tourists travelling overseas have been warned by the Foreign Office they are now targets for terror attacks from the Islamic State.

Travel advice for 225 countries and territories was updated to reflect a "generalised threat" in retaliation to Britain's involvement in airstrikes against the fundamentalist group, commonly known as ISIS.

The Foreign Office has also advised against travelling to Iraq or Syria unless it is unavoidable.

A statement from the Foreign Office on Friday said: "There is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attacks globally against UK interests and British nationals from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria.

"You should be vigilant at this time."

But it was quick to stress the action was not related to any particular attack.

Home Secretary Theresa May raised the UK terror threat level to 'severe', meaning terrorism acts remained 'highly likely'.

Britons in Syria are also being advised to "leave now by any practical means".

Tourists in Turkey are being urged to stay at least 10km away from the Syrian border while ISIS battle Kurdish forces for control of key town Kobani.

Meanwhile Islamic State is urging supporters to use Ebola as a chemical weapon to kill western civilians, according to a Spanish politician.

Francisco Martinez Vazquez, Spain's state secretary for security, claims the terror group will use any means possible to kill its enemies - including stabbing people with needles poisoned with the deadly virus.

He told Spanish parliament that would-be militants are using chat rooms to discuss terror attacks - including so-called 'lone wolf' attacks.

Martinez Vazquez said conversations he had witnessed identified 'many examples' of threats to use Ebola as a chemical weapon, and he is taking the threats seriously.

One conversation he referred to discussed the 'use of Ebola as a poisonous weapon against the United States', and in another, militants worked out the best way to use 'deadly chemical products' stolen from laboratories.

Here is where one of 'many' examples where the possibility of using 'poisonous injections' was allegedly suggested.

Mr Martinez then listed six benefits of a strong online presence, as identified by Islamic State:

• Threatening enemies through propaganda
• Preparing operations
• Exchanging information
• Ideological training
• Recruiting new members
• Acquiring finance

Earlier this month, US Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said there was "no credible evidence" Islamic State using the Ebola virus to attack the US.

But around the same time experts also warned against the use of Ebola as a biological weapon in the UK - stating the terror group  could send infected militants, sparking widespread outbreaks.

Capt Al Shimkus, of the US Naval War College, said: “Individuals exposed to the virus become carriers.

"It doesn’t take much sophistication to go to the next step and use terrorists as carriers.”

Professor Anthony Glees, of Buckingham University’s Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies, said: “IS fighters believe in suicide and this is a potential job for a suicide mission.

"They are sufficiently murderous and well-informed to consider it.”

Source:

Mirror, UK