The U.S. Embassy in South Africa said extremists may be targeting American government and business interests in the country, a week after it warned that groups in the region sought to harm US citizens.
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‘Be vigilant and take appropriate steps to enhance your personal security’.
Headed “Terrorist Threat to U.S. Interests in South Africa”, the statement on their website reads as follows. Security Messages do not reflect the nature of our bilateral relations with a country. Then, the USA government warned its citizens that South Africa faced a heightened risk of terrorism during the World Cup.
“We haven’t had an extensive history of transnational terrorists targeting United States interests (but) there has been evidence that South Africa serves as some form of a gateway or potential logistics and financial hub”.
In June 2013, the USA state department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security issued a warning to tourists saying Pretoria, Johannesburg, Durban, and Cape Town were “critical crime threat spots”.
In a statement on its website, the U.S. Embassy said it had no information about a specific target or timing, but advised Americans to review their personal security plans and maintain their vigilance.
“The fact that this warning speaks specifically to South Africa means the perceived threat is specifically within our borders”.
South African intelligence sources said they could not comment yet. However, the following message on Twitter links to a brief interview with a State Department spokesman about the terror alert.
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The embassy issued the warning just three days before the 14th anniversary of 9/11, the deadliest terror attack on USA soil.
