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US adds Pakistan to travel alert list - Khaleej Times
Staff Reporter / 10 August 2013
Amid heightened global security fears, Americans are being warned not to travel to Pakistan and non-essential government staff have been shipped out of Lahore, while two men in Saudi Arabia are being held on suspicion of plotting against Western embassies in the region.
The latest developments follow a global travel alert issued last week by the US State Department warning of a potential Al Qaeda terrorist attack in the Middle East during this month, while a series of Western countries shut down embassies in Yemens capital and the US kept 19 embassies in the region shut till after Eid.
Despite this, US officials have claimed the movement of their Pakistani consulate staff from Lahore to Islamabad was not related to Al Qaeda attack threat.
US Embassy spokeswoman Meghan Gregonis said emergency personnel would stay in Lahore, but embassy officials did not know when the consulate would reopen. We received information regarding a threat to the consulate, said Gregonis.
On Thursday, the State Department issued a travel warning saying the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups posed a potential danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan.
The country has faced a bloody insurgency by the Pakistani Taleban and their allies in recent years that has killed over 40,000 civilians and security personnel, and is also believed to be home base for Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri.
Islamabad has also been under high alert in recent days because of intelligence that militants were planning attacks on key targets in the city, including the airport and parliament. There was no indication that the militants were planning attacks on US targets in the capital.
Meanwhile, one Yemeni and one Chadian national have been arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of plotting against Western embassies in the Middle East, as part of their roles in Al Qaeda.
The two men allegedly had contacts with AQAP, the terror networks Yemeni offshoot, state news agency SPA quoted ministry spokesman General Mansour Al Turki as saying on Thursday.
The Chadian suspect had previously been expelled from Saudi Arabia but returned with a passport issued by another country, Al Turki added. The two suspects may have been implicated in the threats against Western embassies in the region.
Al Qaedas Arabian operations, formed in January 2009 as a merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of Al Qaeda, are seen by Washington as the most active branch of the jihadist network.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal citing an anonymous US official, Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri had approved a terror operation that had been drawn up in Yemen.
Yemeni officials say his group planned to storm a Western-run oil terminal and seize a port city but believe they have foiled the plot.
US officials have not yet said what they think the targets were, despite the widespread embassy closures.
There have been several reported US drone strikes this week. The latest trio of strikes on Thursday killed 12 Al Qaeda militants, according to military and tribal sources.
news@khaleejtimes.com
Staff Reporter / 10 August 2013
Amid heightened global security fears, Americans are being warned not to travel to Pakistan and non-essential government staff have been shipped out of Lahore, while two men in Saudi Arabia are being held on suspicion of plotting against Western embassies in the region.
The latest developments follow a global travel alert issued last week by the US State Department warning of a potential Al Qaeda terrorist attack in the Middle East during this month, while a series of Western countries shut down embassies in Yemens capital and the US kept 19 embassies in the region shut till after Eid.
Despite this, US officials have claimed the movement of their Pakistani consulate staff from Lahore to Islamabad was not related to Al Qaeda attack threat.
US Embassy spokeswoman Meghan Gregonis said emergency personnel would stay in Lahore, but embassy officials did not know when the consulate would reopen. We received information regarding a threat to the consulate, said Gregonis.
On Thursday, the State Department issued a travel warning saying the presence of several foreign and indigenous terrorist groups posed a potential danger to US citizens throughout Pakistan.
The country has faced a bloody insurgency by the Pakistani Taleban and their allies in recent years that has killed over 40,000 civilians and security personnel, and is also believed to be home base for Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri.
Islamabad has also been under high alert in recent days because of intelligence that militants were planning attacks on key targets in the city, including the airport and parliament. There was no indication that the militants were planning attacks on US targets in the capital.
Meanwhile, one Yemeni and one Chadian national have been arrested in Saudi Arabia on suspicion of plotting against Western embassies in the Middle East, as part of their roles in Al Qaeda.
The two men allegedly had contacts with AQAP, the terror networks Yemeni offshoot, state news agency SPA quoted ministry spokesman General Mansour Al Turki as saying on Thursday.
The Chadian suspect had previously been expelled from Saudi Arabia but returned with a passport issued by another country, Al Turki added. The two suspects may have been implicated in the threats against Western embassies in the region.
Al Qaedas Arabian operations, formed in January 2009 as a merger of the Yemeni and Saudi branches of Al Qaeda, are seen by Washington as the most active branch of the jihadist network.
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal citing an anonymous US official, Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri had approved a terror operation that had been drawn up in Yemen.
Yemeni officials say his group planned to storm a Western-run oil terminal and seize a port city but believe they have foiled the plot.
US officials have not yet said what they think the targets were, despite the widespread embassy closures.
There have been several reported US drone strikes this week. The latest trio of strikes on Thursday killed 12 Al Qaeda militants, according to military and tribal sources.
news@khaleejtimes.com
