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| 10 April 2005 | Sunday | 30 Safar 1426 |
Washington briefly shuts Yemen embassy
A Yemeni security source brushed off the alleged threat, although the country has witnessed a series of Al Qaeda-linked attacks in recent years.
The purported chief of an Al Qaeda cell in Yemen, one of eight suspects facing trial on charges of plotting to attack Western targets in Sanaa, told a court here late last month he had planned a strike against the British embassy at the behest of the network’s Saudi branch.
A source at the US embassy insisted the closure was for one day to carry out administrative work, despite the fact that it came after the US State Department authorized non-essential personnel and diplomats’ families to leave Yemen.
“The department is concerned about possible attacks by extremist individuals or groups against US citizens, facilities, businesses and perceived interests and therefore has authorized the voluntary departure from Yemen of non-emergency personnel and eligible family members,” it said on Friday.
The department also warned US citizens to defer non-essential travel to Yemen.
The Foreign Office in London said earlier on Friday that the embassy in Sanaa would remain closed from Saturday until further notice.
An AFP reporter saw police patrols and troops deployed around the embassy, and security was also reinforced around a number of Western facilities, including the British Council and a US language centre.
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