10 June 2016•Update: 11 June 2016
ANKARA
On the eve of the EURO football championship, Turkey warned its citizens to be careful while using public transportation and in crowded areas in France, which is hosting the games.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry posted on its website that France has extended the state of emergency it declared following last November’s Paris attacks “for another two months to cover the European Football Championship”.
The ministry warned people going to France to see the championship “to be careful to the maximum extent” while using public transportation and while in crowded celebration areas.
The November attacks left 130 people dead.
The travel warnings come as millions of football fans are expected to pour into France to watch the EURO 2016 football games, the year’s most important sports tournament on the continent.
The EURO 2016 tournament, with Turkey among its 24 participating teams, will be played from June 10 to July 10 in 10 French cities: Bordeaux, Lens, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nice, Paris, Saint-Denis, Saint-Etienne, and Toulouse.
The announcement warned Turkish citizens to “follow local authorities’ instructions” and to “closely monitor local media”.
The ministry also said it would be useful to monitor “additional warning and announcements issued by our ministry, the Paris Embassy and our consulate.”
France’s Interior Ministry also offers a free terror alert app called SAIP that sends warning flashes on a user's cellphone in case of a nearby attack or suspicion of one. The app, available in English and French, is free to download on iOS and Android.
