INTERPOL has issued last Saturday, August 3, a global security alert advising increased vigilance for terrorist activity.

INTERPOL has issued the alert after a series of jailbreaks that freed over 1,500 suspected terrorists in prisons over nine countries in the past weeks. In Pakistan, over 240 prisoners escaped after Taliban gunmen stormed a prison last July 31. The agency believes that the series of jailbreaks are linked to Al-Qaeda.

Some notable jailbreaks were in Iraq, Pakistan, and Libya. In Iraq, over 500 prisoners, including Al-Qaeda members, escaped from Abu Ghraib prison last July 22. In Libya, around 1,100 inmates escaped in a prison near Benghazi on July 27. In Pakistan, Taliban gunmen attacked a prison and freed over 240 prisoners last July 30.

INTERPOL has asked its member countries to closely monitor and swiftly process any information linked to the jailbreaks and coordinate with member countries to help prevent any possible terrorist attack.

Western Embassies Close Down

Meanwhile, the United States has issued a global travel alert based on intelligence indicating possible attacks in the Middle East or Africa. It has also warned of possible terror attacks by Al-Qaeda and other affiliated organizations until the end of August.

Yesterday, the US has prompted to close its embassies in Yemen and in 20 other countries mostly in the Middle East. The British and other European states have also decided to close their embassies in Yemen.

INTERPOL has noted that terrorists, in the previous years, have targeted diplomatic facilities in Afghanistan, Greece, India, Kenya, Libya, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, and Yemen .