Post date: Aug 04, 2013 11:39:59 AM
The U.S. embassy in Egypt remains shut for a second day following a 'security threat' that triggered the temporary closing down of more than a dozen U.S. embassies throughout the Middle East and Africa.
CAIRO, EGYPT (AUGUST 4, 2013) (REUTERS) - The US embassy in Cairo was closed for the second consecutive day on Sunday (August 4) after Washington issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday (August 2) warning Americans that al Qaeda may be planning attacks in August, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
President Barack Obama's top national security advisers met at the White House on Saturday (August 3) to discuss the potential threat of terrorist attacks that caused Washington and its allies to issue travel warnings and close embassies throughout the Middle East.The travel alert is set to expire on Aug. 31.
Among the most prominent of al Qaeda's affiliates is Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, a Yemen-based group whose attempted attacks included the Christmas Day 2009 attempt to blow up a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
U.S. security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the threat was related to AQAP but there was not a specific target. They also said that it was aimed at Western interests, an assessment later confirmed by the top U.S. military officer.
Britain said it would close its embassy in Yemen on Sunday and Monday (August 5).
On Thursday (August 1), the State Department said U.S. embassies that would normally be open on Sunday -- chiefly those in the Muslim world -- would be closed that day because of security concerns, adding that they might be shut for a longer period.
The embassies in the following countries will be closed: Afghanistan, Algeria,Bahrain, Bangladesh, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Mauritania,Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen.
The consulates in Arbil, Iraq; Dhahran and Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; and Dubai, United Arab Emirates will also be shut.
France said earlier on Saturday it would close its embassy in Yemen for several days from Sunday, following similar moves by Britain and Germany.