Turkey has warned its citizens to revise their travel plans to the US or act with caution if they go ahead with a trip, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.
A statement on Friday cited risks of “terrorist” attacks as well as arbitrary arrests in Turkey’s Western ally.
“It has been observed that there is a recent increase in terrorist and violent attacks in the US,” the statement said, referring to several deadly incidents over the past few months.
“Attacks by vehicles being driven on crowds, in addition to bomb and gun attacks, are likely to continue to target city centres, cultural events, subway stations, state buildings, places of warship and school campuses,” the statement said, adding that there is also a risk of arbitrary arrest for Turkish citizens traveling to the US.
Attacks mentioned
The ministry mentioned recent attacks at Ohio University’s campus, Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood Airport, Dar Al-Farooq Mosque in Minnessota and a church in Texas.
It added that the recent New York City subway pipe bomb attack was “an example of far-right/racist incidents”.
The ministry also warned about alleged “arbitrary arrests” of Turkish citizens, including public servants traveling to the US for official duty.
The move came after the US announced a new travel advisory on Wednesday and named Turkey as a country with an “increased security risk” along with Sudan, Pakistan and Guatemala.
Turkey summoned senior US diplomat Philip Kosnett to the foreign affairs in Ankara on Thursday over Washington’s support for Syrian Kurdish fighters.
Source: aljazeera.com
