This page gives a brief summary of the terrorist threat world-wide, and what help FCO Travel Advice can provide in warning of the dangers.

It has long been the case that travellers overseas face a risk, usually small, of being caught up in terrorist attacks resulting from local political tensions. But recent years have seen a worrying increase in attacks against 'Western' targets. Since the mid 1990s, Osama bin Laden's Al Qa’ida network and associated groups with the same extreme views have carried out several attacks against broadly 'Western' targets: the 11 September 2001 attacks in New York and Washington; the bombing of American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998, the attack on the US naval frigate USS Cole in Yemen in 2000, plus a number of planned attacks that have failed to come off because of disruption by the authorities in the country concerned. Some of the other terrorist attacks during the last 18 months include:

A suicide car bomb against a synagogue in Djerba, Tunisia in April 2002, that killed 18 European tourists and local Tunisians;
A suicide attack against a bus in Karachi carrying French engineers in May 2002;
A series of ETA bombings during the summer of 2002 in resorts on the Costa Blanca and the Costa del Sol and other cities in Spain
The bombs in Bali in October 2002 that killed over 200 tourists and local Indonesians;
The attacks in Mombasa in November 2002 that killed 17 Kenyans and Israelis;
The shooting of three American medical charity workers in Yemen in December 2002;
An attack on a hotel nightclub in Colombia on 17 February 2003;
A British national was shot and killed in Saudi Arabia on 20 February 2003.
A campaign of terrorist bombings in March and April 2003 in the Philippines and Indonesia, including attacks on an airport and a ferry terminal in the southern Philippines and at Jakarta airport
Al Qa’ida were almost certainly responsible for the suicide bombings in Riyadh on 12 May that targeted the homes of westerners, including British Citizens, living in the Kingdom.
Over 40 people were killed in a series of suicide attacks in Casablanca on 16 May, incluidng at a hotel and restaurant used by westerners.
There were suicide bomb attacks in Istanbul on 15 November and further attacks on 20 November, which were on British related targets, the British Consulate General and the HQ of HSBC.
Many of these attacks show that terrorists are prepared to attack the least well protected 'Western' interests. People travelling abroad need to be aware of the risk of indiscriminate attacks in public places. You should be vigilant, take sensible precautions, be aware of local sensibilities, monitor the media, and check our Travel Advice for the country you live in or plan to visit. Despite the considerable military and law-enforcement successes against terrorist networks, the threat, including the possible use of chemical and biological substances, is likely to remain for some time. Nonetheless, it is important to remember that the risk of being involved in a terrorist attack is still very small, like most other risks of travel (such as natural disasters).

It is rare that the government will warn British citizens against travelling to a country at all. When we do, we hope that people will heed that advice. But there are a range of other countries where there is a risk of terrorists operating. This can be where there is a history of terrorist attacks; or where such groups have been found in the past; or where we believe that terrorists would find it relatively easy to mount an attack because of (for example) support among the local population, or lack of effective law enforcement. The Travel Advice describes what we believe to be the general nature of the threat. This comes in a separate paragraph on 'Terrorism', immediately after the summary of each country Travel Advice. This advice draws on the assessments that are made, and regularly updated, by the Security Service (MI5).

What can ordinary travellers do to minimise risks? Most precautions are common sense. Make sure you are aware of the situation in the country you are going to, by checking this website and keeping an eye on the news, and if in doubt by checking in with the local British Embassy or Consulate. Look out for anything suspicious (for example an unattended bag at an airport, or a group of people acting suspiciously around an obviously 'Western' institution or gathering). Report anything that you think is suspicious to the local police – many terrorist attacks have been foiled by the vigilance of ordinary people.