DHAKA – US embassies and consulates that were closed in the Middle East and Africa because of a terrorist threat will reopen on Sunday.The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed.
The U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, also is not scheduled to reopen. It was closed Thursday because of what officials say is a separate credible threat.
In the statement issued Friday, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not cite a reason for the decision to reopen the 18 missions.
She cites ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula,” or AQAP, for keeping the embassy in Sanaa closed.
“We will continue to evaluate the threats to Sanaa and Lahore and make subsequent decisions about the reopening of those facilities based on that information,” Psaki said.
The 19 outposts were closed to the public beginning last Sunday. Most American employees at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen were ordered to leave the country on Tuesday because of threat information.
An intercepted message between al-Qaida officials about plans for a major terror attack triggered the 19 closures. – theguardian/via banglanews24.com
