‘Al-Qaeda-Related Threat’ Forces Closure of U.S. Embassies

Marie Harf, a State Department spokesperson, said in a statement today that an unspecified number U.S. embassies abroad would “remain closed” or “suspend operations” on Sunday, August 4.

At the time of the press conference Harf declined to say why the embassies were being closed, but did said that the decision was made out of concern for the safety of embassy employees and visitors. The situation will be assessed before deciding whether the embassies will reopen.

The State Department later told NBC that the threats were “al-Qaeda related.”

Although this announcement has gotten relatively little press coverage, media outlets like Al Jazeera and the New York Times are pointing out that U.S. embassies and consulates have been particularly cautious since the attack on the United States embassy in Benghazi, Libya on September 11, 2012.