US embassy in Yemen closed amid threats

The US has closed its embassy in Yemen after receiving threats from al-Qaeda, the embassy and foreign diplomats say.

The US has also instructed its embassy staff to stay in their homes until further notice, Reuters reported on Sunday.

“The US Embassy in Sana’a is closed today, January 3, 2010, in response to ongoing threats by al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen,” said a statement on the embassy website.

US officials had declared this week that the US was looking at ways to expand military and intelligence cooperation with the Yemeni government.