Jihadist extremists are encouraging terrorist attacks against British and other Western teachers working in schools in the Middle East, the Foreign Office (FCO) has warned.

Officials have urged teachers working in international schools in Egypt and other areas to “remain vigilant” after threats were made on a known jihadist website.

The forum post referenced international schools in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait, Sudan, Tunisia, Nigeria, Morocco, Malaysia, India, Bangladesh and Indonesia.

However, the post specifically named two schools in Maadi, a suburb of Cairo in Egypt, and another in Jeddah in Saudi Arabia, claiming that these were areas where a number of international-school teachers resided.

Although there was no clear warning of an imminent attack, the FCO has published guidance on its website warning of the risk of an attack against teachers.

“A recent anonymous posting on a jihadist website encouraged attacks against British and other Western teachers and schools in the Middle East, and specifically referred to the Maadi suburb of Cairo,” the guidance states.

“The FCO is unaware of any specific threat against any school or individual in Egypt. Nonetheless, the FCO is encouraging British schools and schools with large numbers of British teachers to review and enhance their security posture. You should remain vigilant and alert to local security developments.”

In an update referring to threats against the school in Jeddah, the FCO website states that the Saudi authorities “continue to take successful action against terrorist groups. A number of terrorist cells have been disrupted.”