US warns of attack threat to Sudan-Uganda flights

The warning came amid heightened tensions follow the botched Christmas Day bombing attempt on a Detroit-bound US airliner blamed on a Nigerian man who US officials believe was trained by al Qaeda in Yemen.

The US Embassy in Khartoum did not name the potential attackers but has said in the past that terrorist groups were active in Sudan.

The United States stepped up security screenings of passengers travelling from or through Sudan and 13 other countries after the failed attack.

US embassy staff published a warning late on Friday on their website of "a potential threat against commercial aviation transiting between Juba, Sudan and Kampala, Uganda".

Juba is the capital of semi-autonomous southern Sudan.

"The US Embassy has received information indicating a desire by regional extremists to conduct a deadly attack onboard Air Uganda aircraft on this route," the embassy statement read.

It added it was not clear whether the group had the ability to mount an attack but warned air passengers to be alert; Kazinform cites China Daily.

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