Published : 02 Aug 2013, 10:07 PM
The United States issued a worldwide travel alert on Friday fearing a potential al Qaeda threat, shortly after it decided to keep embassy in Muslim countries including Bangladesh closed for Sunday.
In a statement, the State Department said current information suggests al Qaeda and its affiliates continue to plan terrorist attacks in the Middle East and beyond, and may concentrate those efforts in August, Reuters news agency reports.
American citizens have been warned about the “continued potential for terrorist attacks, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa”.
The BBC citing the State Department says the alert expires on Aug 31, 2013. “It recommended US citizens travelling abroad be vigilant”.
“Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond, and that they may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August”.
A US official told Reuters that the alert was based on the same intelligence information that prompted US embassy closures for this Sunday.
NBC News says Sunday is President Barack Obama’s 52nd birthday, and it’s also the day Iran inaugurates Hassan Rowhani as its new president.
But US officials told NBC News they had heard nothing to indicate that the date was chosen for either of those reasons.
In the Muslim world and Bangladesh, Sunday is a work day. In other parts of the world, US diplomatic offices are shut on Sunday.