U.S. warns ships of confirmed terror threat

By the CNN Wire Staff

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

A terror group claimed it attacked a Japanese tanker over the summer
The United States now says the claim is valid and more attacks are possible

Washington (CNN) -- The United States has issued a new warning to ships passing through critical shipping lanes in the Middle East and along the African coast after confirming a terror attack took place there this year.

The Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a group based in southern Lebanon that is linked to al Qaeda, claimed in August that a suicide bomber had attacked the Japanese tanker the M. Star on July 28.

The United States has now determined that the claim is valid, according to a statement from the U.S. Maritime Administration.

It warned ships that the group "can conduct further attacks on vessels in areas of/in the Strait of Hormuz, southern Arabian Gulf and western Gulf of Oman."

The explosion on the M. Star injured one crew member but did not cause a spill or halt shipping traffic.

CNN Pentagon Correspondent Barbara Starr contributed to this report.