WASHINGTON — The United States has shut embassies throughout the Middle East after being alerted to an imminent Al Qaida
attack.
Officials said the State Department has ordered the closure of embassies in such Middle East states as Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait and Libya. They said 22 embassies would be closed from Aug. 4 and could remain shut for weeks.
“Current information suggests that Al Qaida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August,” the State Department said.
On Aug. 2, the State Department refused to specify the threat to U.S. diplomatic facilities. But department deputy spokeswoman Marie Harf said the alert was based on “specific threat information or security considerations.”
“It’s specifically Aug. 4,” Ms. Harf said. “Of course, depending on our analysis, individual U.S. embassies and consulates will announce whether or not they are open and whether they are implementing restrictions or other measures.”
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