U.S. diplomatic officials on Saturday warned Americans currently living in or visiting South Africa of possible “near-term” terrorist attacks in areas where they are likely to congregate.
“The U.S. Diplomatic Mission to South Africa informs U.S. citizens that the U.S. government has received information that terrorists are planning to carry out near-term attacks against places where U.S. citizens congregate in South Africa, such as upscale shopping areas and malls in Johannesburg and Cape Town,” the U.S. Embassy in South Africa said in a statement.
The statement continued, “This information comes against the backdrop of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant’s public call for its adherents to carry out terrorist attacks globally during the upcoming month of Ramadan.”
The warnings arrive amid a backdrop of growing debate between presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton over foreign policy and who can best safeguard the United States. In a speech Thursday, Clinton termed Trump’s foreign policy dangerous and “incoherent.”
The new security concerns follow reports about a video released by Islamic State radical Abu Mohammad al-Adani in which he urged militants to carry out additional attacks against the West during Islam’s holy month of Ramadan
The last time the embassy and consulates were closed in South Africa was in 2009 when U.S. government officials reported a “specific” threat to diplomatic missions. American citizens at the time were urged to “remain vigilant.”
