American citizens visiting Zanzibar or other nearby coastal locations in Tanzania are cautioned to take appropriate measures and carefully evaluate their security posture US State Department

The State Department in Washington said it had received information that a terrorist group may be planning an attack on an unspecified location frequented by Westerners.

It said the targets might include restaurants, night clubs or hotels in Zanzibar.

"American citizens visiting Zanzibar or other nearby coastal locations in Tanzania are cautioned to take appropriate measures and carefully evaluate their security posture," the statement said.

The US authorities issued a similar warning on 18 December last year about possible attacks in the Tanzanian capital Dar es Salaam.

Sensitivity

In the past, there have been several attacks against American and western interests in East Africa - including the bombing of the United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya in 1998.

Correspondents say the US has been particularly sensitive about threats directed against its interests in East Africa since the bombings.

These concerns were heightened when on 6 December 13 people were killed in a bomb attack on an Israeli-owned hotel near the Kenyan coastal resort of Mombasa.