U.S. to reopen 18 diplomatic missions after threat

By Matthew Lee, Associated Press

Friday, Aug. 9, 2013 | 6:10 p.m.

WASHINGTON — Eighteen of the 19 U.S. embassies and consulates that were closed in the Middle East and Africa because of a terrorist threat will reopen on Sunday or Monday, the State Department said today.

The U.S. Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen, will remain closed. The U.S. Consulate in Lahore, Pakistan, which was closed Thursday because of what officials say was a separate credible threat, also was not scheduled to reopen.

In the statement, State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki did not cite a reason for the decision to reopen the 18 missions. She cited "ongoing concerns about a threat stream indicating the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula" for keeping the embassy in Sanaa closed.

"We will continue to evaluate the threats to Sanaa and Lahore and make subsequent decisions about the reopening of those facilities based on that information," Psaki said.

The 19 outposts were closed to the public beginning last Sunday. Most American employees at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen were ordered to leave the country on Tuesday because of threat information.

An intercepted message between al-Qaida officials about plans for a major terror attack triggered the 19 closures.

The State Department issued a travel warning Thursday night regarding Pakistan, saying the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups posed a potential danger to U.S. citizens throughout the country. At the same time officials ordered nonessential government personnel to leave the U.S. Consulate in Lahore.