The State Department extended the closure of a number of embassies and consulates in the Middle East beyond Sunday.
“This is not an indication of a new threat stream, merely an indication of our commitment to exercise caution and take appropriate steps to protect our employees including local employees and visitors to our facilities,” State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki said in a statement Sunday afternoon.
The embassies and consulates were originally closed after the U.S. intercepted a message between senior al Qaeda members that caused concern.
Posts in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Sanaa, Tripoli, Antanarivo, Bujumbura, Djibouti, Khartoum, Kigali, and Port Louis are instructed to to remain closed Monday through Saturday.
Dhaka, Algiers, Nouakchott, Kabul, Herat, Mazar el Sharif, Baghdad, Basrah and Erbil were shuttered Sunday, but have been authorized to reopen as normal on Monday.
