The department said the assault on a cafe in Sydney, Australia, on Monday is "a reminder that U.S. citizens should be extra cautious, maintain a very high level of vigilance, and take appropriate steps to enhance their personal security." The travel alert will expire March 19.
The tense, 16-hour hostage standoff ended with gunfire early Tuesday when heavily armed police stormed a cafe in the heart of Sydney's financial center. Two hostages and the gunman were killed. Four of the 17 hostages and one police officer were injured. None of the hostages appears to have been American.
The gunman, a self-styled Islamic cleric, was not on a terrorist watch list despite being well-known to federal police and the Australian security agency, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said.
An analysis of past attacks and threat reporting strongly suggests a focus by terrorists not only on the targeting of U.S. government facilities but also on hotels, shopping areas, places of worship, and schools, among other targets, during or coinciding with this holiday period," the State Department said in a statement Friday.
"U.S. citizens abroad should be mindful that terrorist groups and those inspired by them can pose unpredictable threats in public venues."
