Eiffel Tower, Berlin's Central Station on terror hit list
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Pakistan-based terrorists plotting to carry out Mumbai-style killings in European cities had on their sight landmarks like the Eiffel Tower, the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, as well as Berlin's Central Station, a media report said on Monday.
The names of the high-profile targets were revealed as the US issued a travel advisory asking its citizens to guard against potential terror threats while in Europe.
The terror targets included tourist hotspots like France's global icon the Eiffel Tower, one of the world's most visited monument which millions of people ascend every year and the Notre Dame cathedral, one of France's most famous architectures.
Also on the list were landmarks in Berlin, including the high-profile Hotel Adlon, near Berlin's famed Brandenburg Gate, Germany's most famous symbol.
Berlin's Central Station and its landmark Alexanderplatz TV tower were also on the hit list of militants, who were reportedly being trained in Al Qaeda-run camps in Pakistan's tribal areas.
According to Fox News, a senior Western intelligence official said that a German-Pakistani national interrogated at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan had provided the list of targets.
A major terrorist plot to target cities in UK and other European countries was unravelled recently, with intelligence agencies saying that an estimated 20 British youths were being trained in Al Qaeda run terror camps in Pakistan's tribal areas to be sent to attack European cities.
As many as 10 young Lashkar-e-Tayyaba men, armed with sophisticated weapons, had virtually taken Mumbai hostage in November 2008, killing 166 people in two days of massacre.
The reports of plots to launch similar attacks in London and other European cities has prompted a US travel alert, warning Americans to be careful around transportation hubs and other popular tourist locations in Europe.
The US State Department alert has, however, not offered specifics about the targets and countries that could be most at risk. It said the terrorists "may elect to use a variety of means and weapons and target both official and private interests".
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