“Take official warnings seriously”: Aussies warned to not travel to surprising destination
Australian travellers have been urged to exercise caution if they are planning to visit a popular Scandinavian tourist destination.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade have warned Aussies to use “a high degree of caution in Sweden due to the threat of terrorism” in its official travel advisory for the country.
The warning comes as Sweden has the country has seen a surge in racial and religious tensions, with violence escalating after anti-Islam activists publicly burned and damaged copies of the Islamic sacred text, the Quran.
As a result of the violence, Australia's official SmartTraveller website has placed the Scandinavian country on a Level Two alert, which means visitors need to be more cautious than normal.
The warning does not include urging travellers to reconsider a trip or being told not to go to a destination.
“You should maintain a high level of vigilance in public spaces,” the website says.
“Since the beginning of 2023, there's been an increase in public burnings of the Quran, which has led to a deterioration in the security situation.”
“The Swedish Government has assessed the risk of terrorism as an 'elevated threat', equivalent to a threat level of 3 out of 5.”
“This rating means an attack could happen. Take official warnings seriously.”
The website offers some further advice to “protect yourself from terrorism”, including avoiding places that could be terrorist targets (such as airports, travel hubs, tourism hotspots and places of worship), avoiding visiting such places at peak times and having “a clear exit plan if there's a security incident”.
Travellers are also advised to “consider the level of security around you”, report suspicious items to police, and monitor official advice and media assessments.
Australia is not alone in classifying Sweden as a more dangerous country for tourists, as the UK's Home Office has warned terrorist attacks “could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by foreigners”, while the US Department of State says terrorist groups “continue plotting possible attacks in Sweden”.
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