NEW DELHI, Aug 5: The US embassy shut down its consular facilities and other departments in New Delhi involving public engagements on Thursday, citing security concerns.

Sources quoted American diplomats as saying the terror alert was not related to any threat from Al Qaeda, nor from any Kashmiri group.

"In light of security concerns, the consular (visa) section and the department of homeland security - immigration office at the US embassy and the information resource centre at the American centre in New Delhi will close to the public on Thursday, August 5, 2004," an embassy statement said.

"We did not want something to explode when so many Indians were around," an official said.