The Washington government announced that it is shutting down a number of its embassies and consulates, mostly in the Middle East, this Sunday in response to threats of "terrorist attacks."
The announcement to close down its overseas offices comes in response to "a specific threat against a U.S. embassy or consulate," a senior U.S. official told ABC News while describing it a "concerted effort" to target its consulate or embassy in a Muslim country. The government fears that the attack might take place anywhere in the Middle East, North Africa or South Asia.
"We just don't know which one," said the official.
"There could be other targets, not just embassies," a spokesperson told the news channel.
Usually Sunday is a working day in the Muslim world.
"We have instructed all US embassies and consulates that would have normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on August 4th," reported BBC, quoting a senior state department official.
In a written statement, the State Department said the closures could be extended after an evaluation.
American embassies or consulates countries like Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh would be shut down this Sunday, according to a report by CBS News.
Last year, on 11 September, the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked leaving four American officials dead including the U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens.
