U.S. Embassies Closed: Facilities to Close on August 4 Due to Security Threat

U.S. Embassies will be closed on Sunday, August 4 and possibly beyond due to safety reasons.

There aren't many details for why the U.S. plans to shut down the embassies on Sunday. According to a senior State Department official, they may be closed even further that this weekend. The closures are being called "precuationary steps" that are being taken "out of an abundance of caution," NPR reports.

"The Department of State has instructed certain U.S. embassies and consulates to remain closed or to suspend operations on Sunday," said Marie Harf, a department spokeswoman. She would not say which facilities are being closed, how many, where they are or why.

"The department has been apprised of information that, out of an abundance of caution and care for our employees and others who may be visiting our installations ... indicates we should institute these precautionary steps," Harf said. "The department, when conditions warrant, takes steps like this to balance our continued operations with security and safety."

The State Department officials said the agency "instructed all U.S. Embassies and Consulates that would have normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on August 4th."

The offices are usually open in Muslim countries as Sunday is the start of the work week. However the closures are expected to take place in nations from the Middle East to Africa and Asia.

According to CBS, the closures are being done as U.S. intelligence has seen "signs of an al Qaeda plot against American diplomatic posts in the Middle East and other Muslim countries." CBS says embassies will be closed in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

This closure announcement comes after terrorist groups in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan, some of which are affiliated with al-Qaeda, freed hundreds of prisoners.

Two U.S. officials told NPR that analysts believe "tensions are rising with the approach of both the holy days at the end of Ramadan and the one year anniversary of the September 11th attack on the US compound in Benghazi."
The holiday of Ramadan ends on Wednesday, Aug. 7.