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The US says it will keep a number of embassies in North Africa and the Middle East closed until Saturday, due to a possible militant threat. Twenty-one US embassies and consulates closed Sunday. The US State Department said the extended closures were out of an abundance of caution, and not a reaction to a new threat. US diplomat missions in Algiers, Kabul and Baghdad are among those that will reopen Monday.
A State Department global travel alert, issued last Friday, is in force until the end of the month. It calls for US citizens to be vigilant, warning of the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure. The department said the potential for an al-Qaeda inspired attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
The embassy closures and US global travel alert came after the US reportedly intercepted al-Qaeda messages. It has been suggested that they were between senior figures talking about a plot against an embassy.
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