U.S. restricts embassy staffers in Yemen, warns of imminent attack
CAIRO — The State Department has warned of a new Al Qaida plot in Yemen and has
imposed new restrictions on staffers based in there.
Officials said the State Department has determined that U.S. citizens
were under threat of an imminent attack. They said the Al Qaida network
has been monitoring U.S. and other Western embassies in Sanaa.
The U.S. embassy in Sanaa has ordered staffers to avoid virtually all
areas where Westerners and other foreigners congregate. The embassy has also
banned
travel outside Sanaa without authorization, Middle East Newsline reported.
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"For the immediate future, the U.S. embassy has instructed its employees
to avoid all Sanaa restaurants, shopping areas, hotels, and tourist
attractions," the embassy said on Aug. 26. "The embassy continues to approve
travel outside of Sanaa on a case-by-case basis."
"As a result of an active Al Qaida presence in Yemen and the ongoing
threat that Western interests may be targeted," the embassy said, "the
embassy urges U.S. citizens in Yemen to exercise caution and take prudent
measures to maintain their security: maintain a high level of vigilance,
avoid crowds and demonstrations, keep a low profile, vary times and routes
for all travel, and ensure travel documents are current."
