Sanaa, January 04: The American and British embassies in Sanaa remained shut for a second day Monday following indications that an Al-Qaeda branch linked to a botched US airliner bombing is targeting their interests.
Yemeni authorities meanwhile have tightened security measures at and around the capital’s airport, as well as around several embassies, a correspondent said.
New checkpoints were installed along the airport road while security measures were reinforced around the missions of Britain, Germany, Saudi Arabia and the United States.
A security officer at the US mission in Sanaa said telephonically that the embassy was still closed, without providing further information.
A diplomat meanwhile said that the British embassy remained shut.
The US embassy on Sunday announced closing in response to “ongoing threats by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen.”
Britain followed suit, with a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office in London confirming its Sanaa embassy had been closed “for security reasons.”
US President Barack Obama has accused the Yemen-based AQAP of arming and training a Nigerian accused of trying to blow up a Detroit-bound Northwest Airlines jet on Christmas Day.
Obama’s counter-terrorism advisor John Brennan said Sunday there were indications of an Al-Qaeda plot to launch attacks in Yemen.
“There are indications that Al-Qaeda is planning to carry out an attack against (a) target inside of Sanaa, possibly our embassy,” he said.
Britain followed suit closing its embassy, while Spain decided to restrict public access to its Sanaa embassy.
—Agencies