U.S. Warns of Bangkok Terror Threat

The U.S. Embassy in Bangkok warned Friday that there is a credible threat of a terrorist attack against Americans in the Thai capital. "Foreign terrorists may be currently looking to conduct attacks against tourist areas in Bangkok in the near future," a message on the embassy website said. "U.S. citizens are urged to exercise caution when visiting public areas where large groups of Western tourists gather in Bangkok." Thai police are holding a Lebanese man with alleged links to Hizbullah militants for questioning, and Deputy Prime Minister Chalerm Yubamrung said he received a tipoff before the New Year that the Palestinians were planning an attack to target Israelis, though he said "it turned out to be the Hizbullah." The U.S. and Israel are in a tense state with Iran—which allegedly has close ties to Hizbullah, and is accusing the two countries of killing a leading nuclear expert.