Straw denies intelligence could have prevented attacks

Britain, America and Australia had no intelligence information that could have prevented the terror attacks in Mombasa, Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, said yesterday.

He said there was no specific information about a threat, despite Australian warnings ag-ainst travel to the Kenyan city.

Ministers have been under pressure to disclose whether they were told of the threatafter Alexander Downer, the Australian Foreign Minister, confirmed his government received information more than two weeks ago of a possible risk. Advice on 12 November warned Australians to put off all non-essential travel to Mombasa because of "possible terrorist attacks".

In Britain, the Foreign Office issued a "generic warning" to travellers to Kenya.

But in a letter to Michael Ancram, the shadow Foreign Secretary, Mr Straw said last night: "No information was available to the UK, US or Australia which could have prevented the attacks."

The Foreign Office issued a specific warning last night to Britons travelling to Nairobi, the Kenyan capital, because of a "potential threat to Western interests" there.

Kenya was "one of a number of countries in east Africa where there may be an increased terrorist threat" and Britons should be vigilant, particularly in public places frequented by foreigners.