The US will close a number of embassies and consulates, mostly in the
Middle East, on Sunday in response to an unspecified threat, officials
say.
A state department spokeswoman said the order applied to any embassy
or consulate normally open on Sunday.
In the Muslim world, Sunday is a work day. In other parts of the world
US diplomatic offices are shut on Sunday.
Last year on 11 September, the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was
attacked, leaving four Americans dead.
Other embassies are routinely targets of protesters.
"We have instructed all US embassies and consulates that would have
normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on
August 4th," a senior state department official told the BBC.
"It is possible we may have additional days of closing as well."
The official said the state department had "been apprised of
information" leading it to these "precautionary steps... out of an
abundance of caution".
CBS News reported that among those affected by closure would be the
embassies or consulates in Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.
Last year, the attack on the facility in Benghazi led to the deaths of
US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, as well as three other US consulate
staff.
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