(CNN) -- With Europe on high alert for attacks, a U.S. counterterrorism official said that al Qaeda remains a "serious threat" in Europe and beyond.
"They've made clear their intention to attack the United States and our allies," the official said Monday, referring to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a recently formed arm of Osama bin Laden's broader terrorist organization. "The terrorist threat to Europe, unfortunately, remains quite real".
Officials from the United States, Japan and Sweden have warned their citizens about traveling in Europe, citing a rising threat of terrorism. French authorities this month cautioned its citizens about traveling in the United Kingdom, saying British officials believe a terrorist attack there is "highly likely".
On Monday, German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said that people all over the world "face a common threat" from "fundamentalists".
"You have the right to live your life, and we have it," Westerwelle said on CNN-IBN during a visit to India, saying some people view open discussions as a "provocation," adding, "I think tolerance is our common value".
On Saturday, according to news reports, German Chancellor Angela Merkel called multiculturalism in that European nation a failure. The government there plans to implement new policies and initiatives as soon as this week to better integrate new immigrants into society, including instituting German language courses and efforts to prevent forced marriages, news agency AFP reported. In London as well as elsewhere, several people connected with large-scale terrorist attacks in Europe in recent years were disaffected immigrants.
CNN
