American businesses and places of interest should be on the lookout for suspicious activity, this following a terrorist warning issued by the United States Diplomatic Mission in South Africa yesterday.

The embassy says it has received information that points towards ‘U.S. government facilities and other organisations with U.S. business interests’ being the target of extremist activities. Newsweek reports:

“Review your personal security plans; remain aware and vigilant of your surroundings,” the embassy said in a statement…

“One would not immediately associate South Africa with Islamic extremism, which is the driver of international terrorism against US interests,” security analyst Ryan Cummings, who is based in South Africa [said]…“We haven’t had an extensive history of transnational terrorists targeting U.S. interests, [but] there has been evidence that South Africa serves as some form of a gateway or potential logistics and financial hub.” The last such warning was issued in 2009, Cummings said.

If one tries to unpack that warning I would look first at the so-called ‘business interests’ they speak of – are we talking a McDonalds kind of vibe? We know there is something of a precedent there, Planet Hollywood having been bombed back in 1998 killing two people. Below from the LA Times:

A man claiming responsibility said the blast was in retaliation for U.S. attacks on targets in Sudan and Afghanistan last week.

The caller to the radio station Cape Talk claimed responsibility on behalf of a group called Muslims Against Global Oppression…

In Washington, the State Department said the group was anti-Jewish and anti-Israeli. It was unknown to the department’s counter-terrorism office until it staged a demonstration at the vacant Israeli diplomatic office in Cape Town in July 1997, officials said. The marchers at that demonstration shouted angry slogans aimed at Israel.

I suppose we can add places like Burger King and KFC to that list, more quintessentially American businesses that some trouble makers may eye as a potential target. Maybe they have places like Levi’s, Gap, Calvin Klein and Apple iStores in mind, the list goes on.

There’s also this from earlier in the year:

In February of this year, the Mail and Guardian…noted South Africa “is increasingly becoming more attractive to terrorist organizations with funding and training taking place within the country.”

I guess we can’t exactly steer clear of all ‘American’ businesses, but perhaps we should at least be aware that these threats have been made.

Be safe out there.

[sources:latimes&newsweek]