Global General

France closes embassy in Yemen

(xinhua)
Updated: 2010-01-05 00:28
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PARIS: France's Foreign Ministry announced Monday that it has temporarily closed the embassy in Yemen due to potential terrorism attacks by the al-Qaeda group.

The French diplomatic branch in Yemen has decided to stop authorizing "any new public access" since Sunday, the ministry's spokesman Bernard Valero said in a press briefing.

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Al-Qaeda branches in the Arabian Peninsula have issued threats against foreign representatives, so that the "alertness level of security concerning our embassy and nationals have been increased, " Valero said.

Both the United States and Britain closed their embassies on Sunday for possible threats from al-Qaeda but did not specify how long the closure would last.

US President Barack Obama on Saturday blamed al-Qaeda for the failed attempt to set off an explosive device on a flight from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day.
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