Eiffel Tower, Berlin's Central Station were on terror hit list

Washington, Oct 4 (PTI) Pakistan-based terrorists
plotting to carry out Mumbai-style killings in European cities
had on their sight landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Notre
Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as Berlin's Central Station,
a media report said Monday.
The names of the high-profile targets were revealed as
the US issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to guard
against potential terror threats while in Europe.
The terror targets included tourist hotspots like
France's global icon the Eiffel Tower, one of the world's most
visited monument which millions of people ascend every year
and the Notre Dame cathedral, one of France's most famous
architectures.
Also on the list were landmarks in Berlin including
the high-profile Hotel Adlon, near Berlin's famed Brandenburg
Gate, Germany's most famous symbol.
Berlin's Central Station and its landmark
Alexanderplatz TV tower were also on the hit list of the
militants, who were reportedly being trained in al Qaeda-run
camps in Pakistan's tribal areas.
According to Fox News, a senior western intelligence
official said that a German-Pakistani national interrogated at
Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan had provided the list of
targets.
A major terrorist plot to target cities in UK and
other European countries was unravelled recently, with
intelligence agencies saying that an estimated 20 British
youths were being trained in al-Qaeda run terror camps in
Pakistan's tribal areas to be sent to attack European cities.
As many as 10 young Lashkar-e-Taiba men, armed with
sophisticated weapons, had virtually taken Mumbai hostage in
November 2008, killing 166 people in two days of massacre.
The reports of plots to launch similar attacks in
London and other European cities has prompted a US travel
alert, warning Americans to be careful around transportation
hubs and other popular tourist locations in Europe.
The US State Department alert has, however, not
offered specifics about the targets and countries that could
be most at risk.
It said the terrorists "may elect to use a variety of
means and weapons and target both official and private
interests". PTI WAJ
MHM