Sri Lanka on Wednesday deployed troops and stepped up police patrols around a Jewish community center in a popular surfing town after the US embassy warned American citizens of a possible attack on popular tourist spots in the area.

The increased security and warning came after social media posts called for a boycott of Israeli-owned businesses in eastern Arugam Bay.

“The information was that a place called ‘Chabad House’, run by Israelis, could be a target and we took measures to strengthen security,” police spokesman Nihal Thalduwa said.

He said there have been recent tensions between Jewish tourists visiting Chabad House and the bay’s Muslim-majority population.

The army and navy, along with police commandos, were deployed to the area to step up patrols and man roadblocks, he said.

Protests by local Muslim groups against Israel’s fight against Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon have drawn support from the wider community in the predominantly Buddhist South Asian country.

Israelis accounted for less than 1.5% of the 1.5 million tourists who visited the island in the first nine months of this year – or about 20,000 people in total.

But Arugam Bay, a road surfing hotspot about 250 miles east of Colombo, is a popular destination for Israeli tourists.

In a rare announcement of an imminent threat, the US embassy in Colombo said on Wednesday it had received “credible information warning of an attack on popular tourist sites” in eastern Arugam Bay.

“Due to the serious risk posed by this threat, the embassy has imposed a travel restriction on embassy personnel to Arugam Bay, effective immediately and until further notice,” the embassy said, adding that “U.S. citizens are strongly urged to avoid the area around Arugam Bay to avoid. “

Britain and Canada shared the US warning on their own websites, while the Russian embassy advised its nationals to avoid crowded places while visiting the island.

The Israeli National Security Council, meanwhile, has “raised the travel alert level for Sri Lanka due to credible terrorism threats in the tourist and coastal areas.”

Israel urged its citizens in Arugam Bay and other southern and western coastal areas to “leave the country or at least go to the capital Colombo, where there is a large presence of local security forces.” The level 4 travel warning included the Sri Lankan cities of Ahangame, Galle, Hikkaduwa and Weligama.

Along with Arugum Bay and the other coastal areas, Israel’s National Security Council has raised the travel risk for the rest of Sri Lanka to Level 3. The National Security Council ranks travel warnings on a scale of 1 to 4, with Level 4 warnings indicating a “high threat level ” and Level 3 warnings indicating a “moderate threat.” A place receiving this last ranking means that the Israeli security service recommends avoiding unnecessary travel to the destination.

“In addition, the NSC emphasizes that Israelis in Sri Lanka should take more precautions,” the travel notice said. It called on citizens currently in Sri Lanka to “not openly display anything that could identify you as an Israeli, such as T-shirts with Hebrew writing or any symbol that reveals your religion or nationality.”

Security officials also warned against “gatherings of Israeli citizens in public places where there is no security.”

New hotline

There have been no attacks in Sri Lanka since the 2019 Easter Sunday bombings, which killed 279 people, including 45 foreigners.

The coordinated attack on three luxury hotels and three churches was blamed on a local jihadist group that had pledged allegiance to Islamic State.

Tourist numbers then fell sharply and suffered another blow during the economic crisis in 2022, which caused widespread civil unrest.

But numbers of foreign visitors have risen after an International Monetary Fund bailout last year helped stabilize the economy.

Following the warning from the US embassy, ​​police said they were unveiling a new security plan to protect tourists across the island.

“Given the war situation in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, police are working with intelligence agencies on a plan to protect tourists and resorts,” a Sri Lanka Police statement said.

It gave no details but said a hotline had been set up for tourists to alert authorities to any safety concerns.