World Travel Watch: Safari Robbers in Tanzania, the ‘Real IRA’ in Belfast and More

World Travel Watch: Larry Habegger rounds up global travel news

12.09.09 | 9:33 PM ET

World Travel Watch is a weekly report designed to help you make informed judgments about travel. Conditions can change overnight, so always make your own inquiries before you leave home. The U.S. State Department and embassies or consulates are good places to start.

India: Jewish Centers at Risk of Terrorist Attack

Israel’s Counter-Terrorism Bureau advised Israelis to avoid synagogues and Chabad centers in India because terrorists may be plotting attacks similar to those staged in Mumbai on Nov. 26, 2008. FBI agents investigating two Chicago men allegedly involved in planning the Mumbai attacks recently flew to India to share intelligence with Indian security officials. One of the Chicago suspects was arrested on charges that he was working with a Pakistani terrorist group to plot new attacks on Jewish gathering places. Indian and Israeli officials believe the threat is real, and logic suggests that all travelers, not just Israelis, should consider avoiding synagogues and Chabad centers at this time.

Mali: Risk of Kidnapping for Westerners Is Critical in Timbuktu, Elsewhere

The U.S. Embassy in Bamako issued a warning urging Americans “in the very strongest terms” to avoid travel to the regions of Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu, and if present, to “leave immediately” because of the critical risk of kidnapping. The abduction of a long-term resident French citizen in November and the taking of three Spanish aid workers in neighboring Mauritania a few days later confirm the credibility of the threat.

Mexico: Drug Violence Increases in Chihuahua State, Ciudad Juarez

The U.S. Consulate General in Ciudad Juarez, across the Rio Grande from El Paso, Texas, issued an alert Dec. 8 saying that drug violence has now spread to family members of rival cartel members and violent crime is increasing throughout the state of Chihuahua. Because of such violence, the consulate advises Americans to defer non-essential travel to the Guadalupe Bravo area southeast of the city—known locally as “Valle de Juarez”—and to the entire northwest quarter of the state, a region that “begins in Puerto Palomas and runs south to the municipalities of Namiquipa and Madera, and west to the Chihuahua state boundary with Sonora; it includes the city of Nuevo Casas Grandes and surrounding communities.” In other news, the Consulate General Hermosillo issued an alert Dec. 4 stating that a seasonal spike in robberies on toll roads in Sonora and Sinaloa states usually occurs at this time of year as criminals target visitors bringing presents to family members. Such robberies usually occur at night or before dawn when thieves pull over their victims using flashing lights that resemble police lights.

Northern Ireland: Police Urge Stores to Check Security in Wake of Car Bomb, Fears of “Real IRA” Campaign

Police urged retailers across the province to review their security arrangements because of concerns that a dissident IRA faction might mount a Christmas bombing campaign. The Real IRA splinter group left a car bomb that partially detonated at the Policing Board headquarters in Belfast Nov. 22, and authorities worry that they have access to a store of explosives and may try to stage a spectacular incident in the coming weeks. The warning followed security alerts Dec. 7 that paralyzed sections of Belfast when suspect devices caused two hours of gridlocked traffic and bus diversions on one of the city’s busiest streets.

Tanzania: Police Shoot Robbers Targeting Safari Lodge

Police shot dead five men they said were planning to rob a luxury tourist lodge near the Gurmeti Reserve west of Serengeti National park on the Kenyan border Dec. 1. Police acted on a tip and laid an ambush for the armed men. A police official called the incident “very rare,” but another armed robbery occurred in October in the neighboring Masai Mara Game Reserve in Kenya when bandits invaded a tented camp. Whether the incidents are rare or signal a trend, tourism officials know that their industry depends on keeping tourists safe, and they have increased security in response.

Tags: Travel and Security, Africa, Mali, Tanzania, Asia, India, Europe, Northern Ireland, North America, Mexico


No comments for World Travel Watch: Safari Robbers in Tanzania, the ‘Real IRA’ in Belfast and More.

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.