US Closes Embassies In Muslim World Over Threats

The United States will close its embassies and consulates throughout the Muslim world this weekend after receiving an unspecified threat.

The threat is linked to al-Qaeda and focused on the Middle East and Central Asia, chairman of the US House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce said on Friday.

State Department officials say the closures – planned for Sunday – are about acting out of an “abundance of caution”.

Spokeswoman Marie Harf cited information indicating a threat to US facilities overseas and said some diplomatic facilities may stay closed for longer than Sunday.

Sunday is a workday in the Muslim world. American diplomatic missions in Europe, Latin America and many other places are closed on Sunday.

Royce said he supported the State Department decision to “protect our personnel on the ground”.

The State Department issued a major warning last year informing American diplomatic facilities across the Muslim world about potential violence connected to the anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Dozens of American installations were besieged by protests over an anti-Islam video made by an American resident.

In Benghazi, Libya, the US ambassador and three other Americans were killed when militants assaulted a diplomatic post.

The administration no longer says that attack was related to the demonstrations. [AAP]