US embassy shut tomorrow
The US embassies and consulates in Bangladesh and some other countries will remain closed on Sunday due to an unspecified threat.
A state department spokeswoman said the order would apply to any embassy or consulate that is normally open on Sunday, reports BBC.
Bangladesh, Bahrain, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Afghanistan are among those to be affected by the closure.
Shortly after the announcement, the US issued a global travel alert because of an unspecified al-Qaeda threat.
In a statement, the state department said the potential for an attack was particularly strong in the Middle East and North Africa.
The alert expires on 31 August 2013, the department said. It recommended US citizens travelling abroad be vigilant.
"Current information suggests that al-Qa'ida and affiliated organisations 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," the statement said.
The alert warned of "the potential for terrorists to attack public transportation systems and other tourist infrastructure".
Earlier, a senior state department official told the BBC, "We have instructed all US embassies and consulates that would have normally been open on Sunday to suspend operations, specifically on August 4."
"It is possible we may have additional days of closing as well," he added.
The official said the state department had "been apprised of information" leading it to these "precautionary steps ... out of an abundance of caution".
In the Muslim world, Sunday is a working day, while in other parts of the world it is a weekly holiday when US diplomatic offices normally remain closed.
On September 11, 2012, the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was attacked, leaving four Americans -- US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other consulate staff -- dead.
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