US, Britain close Yemen embassies

SANAA: The US and British embassies in Yemen closed on Sunday amid threats from a local branch of Al-Qaeda, after Washington and Britain vowed to help the impoverished country in its fight against extremism. The moves came after US President Barack Obama blamed a Yemen-based Al-Qaeda affiliate for the foiled Christmas Day attack on a US airliner and a day after US regional military commander General David Petraeus visited Sanaa. Claiming responsibility for the thwarted attack on the Detroit-bound Northwest airliner, Al-Qaeda's franchise in Yemen urged attacks on embassies and other Western targets in Yemen. "The US Embassy in Sanaa is closed today, January 3, 2010, in response to ongoing threats by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) to attack American interests in Yemen," said a statement on the embassy's website. Britain followed suit, with a spokeswoman for the Foreign Office in London confirming that its Sanaa embassy was closed on Sunday "for security reasons." A decision would be taken later as to whether the mission will reopen on Monday, she added.