US Embassy in Yemen closes in response to ongoing al-Qaida threats

The Canadian Press
January 3, 2009

[efoods]The U.S. closed its embassy in Yemen on Sunday, citing ongoing threats by the al-Qaida branch that has been linked to the failed Christmas Day bombing attempt of a U.S. airliner headed to Detroit.

The confrontation with the terrorist group’s branch in Yemen has gained new urgency since the 23-year-old Nigerian accused in the attack, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, told U.S. investigators he received training and instructions from al-Qaida operatives in Yemen. President Barack Obama said Saturday that al-Qaida’s branch in Yemen was behind the attempt.

“The U.S. Embassy in San’a is closed today, January 3, 2010, in response to ongoing threats by al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula … to attack American interests in Yemen,” the embassy said in a message posted on its Web site.

An embassy spokesman reached on the phone would not comment if there was a specific threat. On Thursday, the embassy sent a warden notice to American citizens in Yemen urging them to be vigilant and practice security awareness.

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This article was posted: Sunday, January 3, 2010 at 11:24 am

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