Travel advice for the Netherlands has been updated to include an increased terror threat warning.
The country raised its terror attack alert level for the first time since 2019, upping it to level four, or “substantial”, out of five on the scale.
In response, the UK’s Foreign Office has altered its guidance for travellers, warning that the higher threat level, issued on 12 December, “means that there is a real chance of a terrorist attack in the Netherlands”.
The advice reads: “Terrorists are likely to try to carry out attacks in the Netherlands. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners.
“You should remain aware of your surroundings, keep up to date with local media reports and follow the advice of local authorities.
“Recent attacks include:
- in 2019, 4 people were killed and 6 injured in a shooting incident in Utrecht
- in 2018, 2 people were seriously injured in a knife attack at Amsterdam Central Station.”
The upgrading of the threat warning was in part due to the Hamas-Israel conflict, the Netherlands National Coordinator for Counter-terrorism and Security (NCTV) said in a statement.
“Organisations like ISIS and Al Qaeda are using the war in Gaza to urge sympathisers to carry out attacks in the West,” it said in a statement, reports Reuters.
“Attacks and arrests in France, Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom since early October illustrate the risks posed by radicalised individuals who are inspired by current events and terrorist organisations.”
The threat level will be increased to five, or “critical”, if the agency receives intelligence of a specific terror attack being planned in the Netherlands.
The country is extremely popular with British holidaymakers, attracting around 2.4 million UK visitors to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, each year.
