The U.S. State Department ordered on Tuesday the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to be evacuated, the latest in a series of threats received by members of al Qaeda that has led to the temporary shuttering of 19 American posts in Africa and in the Middle East.
The statement said all non-emergency U.S. government workers in Yemen are to leave, “due to the continued potential for terrorist attacks,” The Associated Press reported. The State Department also issued a travel warning for those U.S. citizens who are in Yemen, advising them to leave immediately in the face of “extremely high” threat levels.
This latest shutdown came from a secret message that was intercepted between the al Qaeda chief, Ayman al-Zawahri, and his Yemen deputy, relaying plans for a major terror attack, a U.S. intelligence official and a Mideast diplomat told AP.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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