State Department Spokeswoman Marie Harf declined to comment Monday on why certain U.S. embassies in the Middle East and Northern Africa were closed while others were not in response to a terror threat she said originated in the Arabian Peninsula.
Embassy closures were evaluated on a post-by-post basis to determine whether each post would remain open for the week, she said, adding that the State Department prefers that diplomatic posts remain open where possible rather than closed. Many of the embassies in the Middle East were already scheduled to close for part of the week due to an Islamic holiday.
Harf said the threat emanated from the Arabian Peninsula, where al-Qaeda is active, but would not comment on whether the threat was specific or non-specific.
