The government of Australia has issued a travel alert for its nationals in Bangladesh, saying that it has “reliable information to suggest that militants may be planning to target Western interests in Bangladesh”.

Issuing the advice yesterday, the government called upon Australians to reconsider their need to travel to Bangladesh due to the “high threat of terrorist attack and the uncertain security situation”.

“Stay alert and maintain an active awareness of your environment. Ensure you have robust security plans in place. The level of our advice has not changed. Reconsider your need to travel to Bangladesh,” read the advice.

It asked the Australian citizens to consider the kind of places known to be terrorist targets and the level of security provided.

“If you decide to travel, take additional security measures, register your travel on Smartraveller and monitor the media and other sources about possible security risks.”

The latest travel advice is almost similar to the one issued on March 25. However, it was not clear what prompted the Australian government to issue the fresh alert.

According to the travel advice, local security authorities remain on high alert and continue to arrest individuals alleged to be planning further acts of violence. “The threat of further terrorist attack persists at this time.”