TERRORISM EXPERT WARNS TRAVEL INDUSTRY

A leading UK terrorism expert has warned operators to employ armed guards in the face of almost certain attacks on British tourists in 2003.

In a chilling message to the UK trade, Bruce Newsome, a lecturer on terrorism at the University of Reading, said mass-market resorts would be

targeted as al-Qaeda steps up its terror campaign.

Especially vulnerable are visitors to developing countries, although Newsome stressed cruise ships, coach tours and destinations in Spain, Italy and southern France are also at risk.

“The British don’t realise how scary this is,” he said. “Operators should think about employing armed guards where local laws allow.”

Newsome based his warnings on patterns in 2002 which saw the bombing of a synagogue in Tunisia in April, the Bali nightclub bombing in October, and an attack on Israeli tourists in Kenya in November.

TUI UK managing director Chris Mottershead accused Newsome of scaremongering, asking how the trade can send several million holidaymakers abroad and expect them not to be noticed. “If we stop travelling we allow terrorists to get what they want,” he said.