{{The United States took the unusual step of issuing a worldwide travel alert to its citizens on Friday, warning of a \u201csignificant threat\u201d of an al Qaeda terrorist attack between now and the end of August.}}<\/p>\n
The travel alert, the first of its kind to be issued by the US since an announcement preceding the 10th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks, warned of \u201cthe potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure\u201d.<\/p>\n
The US State Department said the potential for an attack was particularly acute in the Middle East and North Africa and urged US travelers to take extra precautions overseas.<\/p>\n
The US intercepted electronic communications among senior al Qaeda figures, according to officials quoted by The New York Times.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a significant threat stream, and we\u2019re reacting to it,\u201d said Gen. Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He told ABC in an interview to be aired Sunday that the threat was \u201cmore specific\u201d than previous ones and the \u201cintent is to attack Western, not just US interests\u201d.<\/p>\n
The alert came a day after the US announced the closure of 21 embassies and consulates across the Muslim world for the weekend as a security precaution.<\/p>\n
{{Yemen could be focus of attacks}}<\/p>\n
US officials pointed to Yemen as one of the areas most at risk of a terror attack. The country is the home of al Qaeda\u2019s most dangerous offshoot and the network blamed for several notable terrorist plots on the United States.<\/p>\n
\u201cCurrent information suggests that al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August,\u201d the State Department said.<\/p>\n
The concern by American officials over the Yemen-based al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula is not new, given the terror branch\u2019s gains in territory and reach during Yemen\u2019s prolonged Arab Spring-related instability.<\/p>\n
The group made significant territorial gains last year, capturing towns and cities in the south amid a power struggle in the capital that ended with the resignation of Yemen\u2019s longtime leader, Ali Abdullah Saleh. A US-aided counteroffensive by the government has since pushed the militants back.<\/p>\n
Yemen\u2019s current president, Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, met with President Obama at the White House on Thursday, where both leaders cited strong counterterrorism cooperation. Earlier this week, Yemen\u2019s military reported a US drone strike killed six alleged al Qaeda militants in the group\u2019s southern strongholds.<\/p>\n
As recently as June, the group\u2019s commander, Qasim al-Rimi, released an Arabic-language video urging attacks on US targets and praising the ethnic Chechen brothers accused of carrying out the deadly Boston Marathon bombings in April.<\/p>\n
{{Britain closes embassy, urges nationals to leave Yemen}}<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Britain also took action Friday in Yemen, announcing it would close its embassy there on Sunday and Monday as a precaution and urged its citizens to leave the country.<\/p>\n
Britain, which closely coordinates on intelligence matters with Washington, stopped short of releasing a similar region-wide alert but added that some embassy staff in Yemen had been withdrawn \u201cdue to security concerns\u201d.<\/p>\n
The British Foreign Office also advised the country\u2019s nationals against all travel to Yemen and strongly advised any remaining Britons to leave the impoverished Arabian Peninsula country.<\/p>\n
“Our travel advice advises particular vigilance during Ramadan, when tensions could be heightened,” a ministry spokesman said.<\/p>\n
(FRANCE 24 with wires)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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