Americans should visit Europe despite constant terror threat, Europe says
A terror attack could happen in Europe this summer — but that shouldn't deter Americans from visiting, a Belgian official said Thursday.
"The probability of attacks is high," Belgium Interior Minister Jam Jabon admitted during a tour of the NYPD’s Manhattan headquarters with John Miller, the department’s Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counter—Terrorism. But Jabon added he hopes people come anyway.
“The last thing we need to do is change our way of living, because at that moment we form the agenda of the terrorists,” he said.
The State Department issued a terror warning for Europe on Tuesday, claiming that while there is no specific threat, several events like the Soccer European Championship will draw big crowds and could be terror targets.
"Euro Cup stadiums, fan zones, and unaffiliated entertainment venues broadcasting the tournaments in France and across Europe represent potential targets for terrorists, as do other large-scale sporting events and public gathering places throughout Europe," the State Department alert read.
Currently, Belgium's terror threat level is three out of four, which means while they have no specific threats, the probability of a terror attack was high, Jabon said.
“I understand that the State Department is telling people traveling to Europe to be careful, but I hope they come in the weeks and months to come for our tourist season,” Jabon said. The Interior Minister said he will be taking a lot of what he saw during the NYPD tour back to Brussels, particularly the CompStat crime tracking system and how all the different departments work together.
"I am very impressed with the accountability everyone has," he said.
Thirty-two people were killed in March during coordinated terror attacks in Brussels.
At the time, critics said police agencies across the country didn't coordinate well with each other.
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