After the State Department issued a terrorism alert Sunday, the Office of Undergraduate Study Abroad is advising students in Europe to be extra cautious in their travels.
Many European countries have issued their own terrorism warnings and Parisian police evacuated the Eiffel Tower twice last week, according to USA Today. The alerts came as a response to the work of counter-terrorism officials, who are assessing intelligence about “possible plots originating in Pakistan and North Africa,” according to The New York Times.
Still, the travel alert does not advise Americans to stay away from Europe or to avoid any particular locations. The “travel alert” is, according to The Times, “far less disruptive” than a “travel warning,” which would otherwise advise Americans to stay away from certain areas.
Cornell Abroad Director Richard Gaulton said he planned to send an e-mail out to students abroad in Europe on Monday morning “just to remind students to exercise caution.”
He pointed out that the alert “doesn’t actually say to do anything but to be alert,” and that students will be notified about the State Department’s report as well.
Gaulton added that the Cornell Abroad office had already warned staff in Paris to be especially cautious sometime last week.
The British government also raised the threat of terrorism for its citizens in France and Germany from “general” to “high.”
Original Author: Jeff Stein