Obama counterterrorism chief: US Embassy shut in Yemen because of active al-Qaida threat
By APSunday, January 3, 2010
Active al-Qaida threat closes US Embassy in Yemen
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama’s top counterterrorism adviser says the U.S. Embassy in Yemen is now closed because of an active threat from al-Qaida.
The adviser, John Brennan, says the U.S. won’t “take any chances” with the lives of American diplomats and others at the embassy in Yemen’s capital. The British Embassy also was closed Sunday.
Brennan told “Fox News Sunday” that there will be an ongoing threat until Yemen’s government gets a better handle on the terrorism threat. He said the U.S. isn’t opening a new front in Yemen against terrorism.
Brennan estimates there are several hundred members of al-Qaida in Yemen. The threat has gained new urgency since a 23-year-old Nigerian was accused of trying to blow up a U.S. airliner on orders from the al-Qaida affiliate in Yemen.
Tags: Barack Obama, Christmas, Embassies, Middle East, National Security, North America, Sana'a, Terrorism, United States, Washington, Yemen
