State Department Issues Travel Alert Over Potential Al-Qaeda Attack

The State Department has issued a worldwide travel alert that Al-Qaeda is planning an attack in the Middle East or North Africa in the month of August.

The press release, which has not yet appeared on the State Department website [Update: Here’s the alert] but is reprinted by Business Insider in full, warns,

“The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens to the continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula. Current information suggests that al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August. This Travel Alert expires on August 31, 2013.”It adds, “We strongly recommend that U.S. citizens Traveling abroad enroll in the Department of State’s Smart Traveler Enrollment Program (STEP). STEP enrollment gives you the latest security updates, and makes it easier for the U.S. embassy or nearest U.S. consulate to contact you in an emergency. If you don’t have Internet access, enroll directly with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.”

CNN is reporting that some U.S. embassies in the region, including those in Egypt and Israel, will close starting on Sunday for an unspecified length of time.

As of this writing, there is no detail about the nature of the threat.

Update: August 5, 10:07 a.m.
Nineteen U.S. diplomatic posts have also been closed, at least through this week.

Remote Control Toys and Airport Security

The latest items to bear scrutiny at U.S. airports are remote-control toys. Even a child with a toy car and the battery operated gizmo that runs it might be looked at more carefully. This doesn’t mean you can’t take your toy on board, but if you have one, you could get a pat down and have your hand-carried luggage searched. A University of Florida student is partly to blame. He made a video in Arabic that he posted on You Tube explaining how to turn such a toy into a bomb detonator. Of course, the guy was also arrested in August on explosive charges.

Lest we think that it just takes one to spoil the fun for the rest of us, there are other factors that have played into this decision, although nothing specific. There hasn’t been a plan uncovered, although, in Sri Lanka and India such toys have been used to explode a bomb. If you’re worried that your car key remote, or your remote channel changer for your TV that you happen to take with you on trips might flag you, don’t. They don’t count. (see article)