UK probing Al Qaeda threat to bomb FIFA WC match against US

London, May 30 (ANI): British counter terrorism officers are probing Al Qaeda threats to bomb England's first World Cup match against the United States.

According to the Daily Express, the extremists created a fake ticket for the game splashed with blood and produced a map of South Africa with six cities ringed to indicate other targets.

The threats were made in Arabic on a secret website used by Al Qaeda.

Dutch footballing authorities have already banned their players' partners from travelling to South Africa because of a threat against their squad.

And last week, the US State Department warned there was a "heightened risk" of an attack during the World Cup and urged all its citizens going to South Africa to sign up to an alert system.

England's first match against the US on June 12 is seen as especially vulnerable because militants equally hate both nations.

Both MI6 and MI5 are trying to identify Al Qaeda operatives in Africa. (ANI)