LONDON, 22 February 2003 — Britain advised its citizens yesterday against all non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Jordan and Qatar following the shooting of a British man in the Saudi capital.
The warning comes as regional tensions flare over a possible US-led war against Iraq. The Foreign Office advised people already in those countries to maintain a high level of vigilance and to consider whether their presence or that of their families was essential.
“We are giving this advice because of the increasing regional tension and of the risk of terrorist action,” the Foreign Office said. “Developments on Iraq and any further increase in regional tension could affect our travel advice.”
Britain’s Robert Dent, a 37-year-old employee of British defense company BAE Systems, was shot dead by a lone gunman in his car at a traffic light in Riyadh on Thursday. Dent’s murder was the third attack on a BAE employee and followed several incidents this year in which foreigners have been shot at but escaped unhurt.
