Most U.S. Embassies And ConsulatesTo Reopen

All but one of the diplomatic outposts that were closed last week due to terrorism threats will be reopening:

WASHINGTON — Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates closed this month due to worries about potential terrorist attacks will reopen on Sunday, the U.S. State Department said on Friday.

“Our embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed because of ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said.

The United States will also keep its consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, shuttered, Psaki said, adding it closed on Thursday due to a “separate credible threat.”

The United States shut about 20 of its embassies and consulates in the Middle East and Africa on Sunday after saying it had picked up information through surveillance and other means about unspecified terrorist threats. It later said the missions would remain closed through August 10.

A worldwide alert said that al Qaeda could be planning attacks in the Middle East and North Africa.

The reopening U.S. posts are located in Jordan, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Libya, Madagascar, Burundi, Djibouti, Sudan, Rwanda, Mauritius, as well as three in Saudi Arabia and two in the United Arab Emirates.

Exactly what the point of this whole episode was remains unclear.

FILED UNDER: Africa, Intelligence, Middle East, National Security, Terrorism, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. michael reynolds says:

    I’d say it was a tasty stew. Start with some terrorist chatter. Throw in a handful of Benghazi! Add a bit of NSA self-justification. Season with ass-covering.

  2. al-Ameda says:

    Shouldn’t Darrell Issa investigate this before the embassies and consulates are reopened?

  3. bill says:

    was that a “kansas city shuffle”?

  4. edmondo says:

    And now the O-bots can state unequivocally that Obama has thwarted another terrorist attack!

  5. anjin-san says:

    @ edmondo

    Don’t you just hate it when you try to be clever but end up with nothing but stupid?

  6. edmondo says:

    @anjin-san:

    You should know. It’s happened to you so many, many times.

  7. anjin-san says:

    Sorry edmondo, your constant use of “O-bots” has disqualified you from discussions about what constitutes clever.