The US Embassy in London has warned US citizens in the UK to be on high alert due to the increased risk of terrorist attacks. In a security alert issued on Friday local time, the embassy advised citizens to be vigilant in public places, Al Jazeera reported.
The warning calls for avoiding public places, especially schools, churches, tourist areas and transport hubs. It also advises people to change their travel times and routes and to hide their location.
The warning comes after the UK government raised its terror threat level to 'severe'. The country's domestic intelligence agency MI5 said the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre had raised the threat level from 'substantial' to 'severe'.
This is the second highest alert level, indicating that the likelihood of an attack within the next six months is very high.
The intelligence agency said the terror threat in the UK had been gradually increasing for some time. The situation took on new significance after the stabbing of two Jewish men in London's Golders Green area on Wednesday, although it said that the threat level was not raised solely because of that incident.
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