Germany, UK temporarily closing diplomatic missions in Yemen

PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain and Germany are set to temporarily close their diplomatic missions in Yemen after the United States issued a worldwide terror alert, Deutsche Welle reports.

The U.S. had earlier said dozens of its embassies would also close temporarily.

A spokesperson from the British Foreign Office told news outlets on Friday, Aug 2, that the country's embassy in Yemen's capital, Sana'a, would be closed on Sunday and Monday as a "precautionary measure."

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Office was quoted as saying that the country's embassy in Yemen would also remain closed for those two days, but declined to provide further details.

This followed a warning issued by the U.S. State Department saying there was a "continued potential" for the al Qaeda terror network or its supporters to carry out attacks on U.S. citizens "particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula."

It also suggested a timeframe of the next few weeks.

The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey said in an interview to be broadcast on America's ABC network on Sunday, that the threat uncovered by intelligence agencies was "more specific" than previous ones and the "intent is to attack Western, not just U.S. interests."

The alert came a day after the State Department announced that it would shut down 21 diplomatic posts in 17 countries, including the U.S. embassy in Yemen on Sunday. A spokesperson said the closures could be extended in certain countries depending on the circumstances.