The U.S. mission in Nigeria has said it has received information that U.S. and other "Western'' interests in the country are at risk of a terrorist attack, according to US Bloomberg TV.Potential targets include diplomatic buildings and businesses in Abuja, the capital, and Lagos, the commercial center, according to a statement released today by the U.S. consulate in Lagos.
The warning, just days before the sixth anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the U.S., urged expatriates to take security steps, including varying routes to and from work and avoiding traffic bottlenecks. It follows the arrest Sept. 4 of three men in Germany suspected of planning ``massive bomb attacks'' on targets in Germany used by U.S. citizens.
"This is the first time I have seen the words `terrorist' and `Nigeria' from the U.S.'' in a public warning, Sebastian Spio- Garbrah, an analyst at New York-based Eurasia Group, declared. The notification "should really distinguish it from the normal militia threat in the Niger delta.''
Al-Qaeda has previously said it's interested in Nigeria.
