Australia warned weeks ago of 'high threat' of Mombasa attack

The Australian government issued a clear warning to its citizens two weeks ago about the "high threat" of a terrorist attack in Mombasa.

The detailed nature of the advice from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs gave rise to fresh doubts about the amount of intelligence passed on to the citizens of other Western countries, in particular Britain.

Travellers from Australia were given an updated briefing on 12 November that the threat to "Western interests" in the Kenyan port city was high and that all non-essential travel, including tourist trips, should be cancelled.

The advice was in stark contrast to that issued by the Foreign Office in London, which repeated a generic warning issued after the attack in Bali on 12 October that British citizens across the world should be aware of the increased risk of "indiscriminate attacks" on public places by terrorists.

Foreign Office officials updated their travel advice on Kenya last night to take note of yesterday's missile and bomb assaults in Mombasa, but stopped short of adding Kenya to the list of countries they advise people not to visit.

A Foreign Office spokesman declined to discuss whether diplomats had known of the Australian warning, saying: "We had no information about a specific attack or threat to Mombasa. If we had received information of a specific threat, it would have been reflected in our travel advice."

Even with its updated position, the UK government remained considerably less prescriptive in its travel advice than other Western countries, in particular Australia.

The briefing issued on the internet from Canberra warned Australians to avoid hotels, clubs and restaurants in Kenya and in particular to avoid Mombasa.

It said: "Threats against Westerners and Western interests in Mombasa are high. Australians are advised to defer all non-essential travel to Mombasa and Australians in Mombasa who are concerned about their security should consider departure."

Concern that Western intelligence agencies were aware of a specific threat of an attack in East Africa was increased when French terrorism experts said it had been known for three weeks that al-Qa'ida was planning an attack.

The Paris-based International Observatory on Terrorism said information had been circulating that the Yemeni head of the terror group in the region was looking to score a spectacular hit.

The FBI in America also warned six months ago that civilian airliners could be targeted by terrorists using shoulder-launched missiles.

The Mombasa coast was an obvious choice for terrorists seeking to kill tourists. Dotted along the length of its white sand beaches are hundreds of hotels and resorts. It forms a key part of the Kenyan tourism industry that supports 500,000 people and accounts for 12 per cent of GDP.

Tourism chiefs in the country admitted that they were braced for a sharp short-term downturn in visitor numbers because of the attacks.