Western embassies shut amid security alert

US and many European countries close embassies mostly in Middle East after worldwide alert by US and Interpol.

 Last Modified: 04 Aug 2013 05:30

The United States has temporarily closed 21 embassies and consulates in mostly Muslim
countries, and several European states have shut embassies in Yemen over fears al-Qaeda was
planning to launch attacks.

The US closed its faciilites on Sunday, after saying it had information that al-Qaeda and its allies may
increase efforts to attack Western interests this month.

The closures came as Interpol issued a global security alert after hundreds of militants were set
free in prison breaks linked to the al-Qaeda terror network, and suicide bombers killed nine near the
Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Jalalabad.

Michael Singh, a former White House official, talks to Al Jazeera on Interpol's warning of a
global security alert

Britain, Germany, France and the Netherlands said they would close their embassies in Yemen on
Sunday and Monday for similiar security reasons. Yemeni authorities said they were on a state of
high alert.

The US has also issued a global travel alert to warn its citizens of potential "terrorist attacks".

A heavy military presence was reported around the US and British Embassies in Yemen's capital
Sanaa on Saturday, with numerous checkpoints.

In London, the Foreign Office said that a number of staff at the British embassy had been withdrawn
from Sanaa, particularly because of increased concerns in "the final days of Ramadan and into
Eid". France and Germany cited instability for their decisions in Yemen.

In Washington DC, meanwhile, top US officials met to review the threat, with US President Barack
Obama briefed following the session.

Susan Rice, Obama's national security advisor, led the meeting, which was also attended by top state
department, defence department and intelligence agency officials.

No official statements were made regarding the cause of the threat level elevation following the
meeting.

Interpol, in issuing its alert, said it suspected al-Qaeda was involved in recent jailbreaks across
nine countries, including Iraq, Libya and Pakistan. The global police agency said the jailbreaks had
"led to the escape of hundreds of terrorists and other criminals" in the past month alone.

The alert calls on Interpol's 190 member countries to help determine whether these events are
coordinated or linked, the organisation said in a statement Saturday.

'Threat is very strong'

In Yemen, at least one person died and six others were wounded in clashes on Friday between
soldiers once loyal to Ali Abdullah Saleh, Yemen's toppled president, and a rival army faction in
Sanaa, police and medical sources said.

The friction added to rising tension in Yemen, which is increasing because of renewed drone
attacks and security concerns.

The threat of al-Qaeda is very strong right now

"[This is] mostly due to the lack of security presence in the government and because of drone strikes taking place this week," he said. Hakim Almasmari, editor of the Yemen Post

Hakim Almasmari, editor of the Yemen Post, told Al Jazeera that the country is at its most tense for a
year.

"[This is] mostly due to the lack of security presence in the government and because of drone
strikes taking place this week," he said.

At least three have struck Yemen in the past seven days, killing 13 people including civilians, he said.

"The timing of the strikes was very unfortunate" further compounding the impact on Yemeni
people, Almasmari said, because they fell in the month of Ramadan and as President Abd-Rabbu
Mansour Hadi was on a trip to the US.

"The threat of al-Qaeda is very strong right now," he said.

The weekend in Yemen is Friday and Saturday.

Canada, meanwhile, said its mission in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka would also be shut on

Sunday.

Source: Al Jazeera