LONDON (Sapa-AP) - Britain took new measures Monday to protect itself against the changing tactics of violent Islamic extremists by requiring visas for South Africans and other foreign nationals.
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith said South Africans will now need to apply for visas to enter Britain, tightening the entry process into the country for some 420,000 South Africans who visit each year. South African passports had previously allowed visa-free travel into Britain.
British security and intelligence officials have warned of an increasing risk from Islamic extremists using South Africa as a transit point and planning plots there.
They have said future attacks on Britain could be directed from countries other than Pakistan - where dozens of Britons with family ties have traveled for terrorist training or have been linked to recent terror plots.
"We are completing some of the biggest ever changes to strengthen Britain's border security," Smith said Monday.
A British security official, who requested anonymity to discuss national security issues, said Britain's government has specific concerns about terrorists seeking to evade law enforcement by using South Africa as a transit point to enter the U.K.