Sunday, March 15, 2015

Heightened security concerns: US Embassy in Saudi Arabia to close for 48 hours

Screen-Shot-2015-03-14-at-9.22.10-PM

U.S. officials confirmed on Sunday that the U.S. embassy and consulates in Saudi Arabia will be closed for the next 48 hours due to “heightened security concerns.”

Fox News:
Embassy officials in Riyadh issued the statement, saying telephone lines at the facilities will be down Sunday and Monday and encouraging U.S. citizens in Saudi Arabia to “be aware of their surroundings and take extra precautions when travelling throughout the country.”

The message did not cite a specific security concern or threat nor call for the evacuation of the facilities.

However, an intelligence source told Fox News that it was a car bomb threat that triggered the measures, and was serious enough that the facilities will have only essential staff over the next two days.

The U.S. Consulate Generals in Saudi Arabia are in the cities of Dhahran and Jeddah.

Read more....

The U.S. State Department also warned U.S. citizens to “carefully consider the risks of traveling to Saudi Arabia and limit non-essential travel within the country.”

“Regardless of where you are, it is always advisable to keep your security and situational awareness levels high," the State Department said.

No comments:

Post a Comment