Americans on alert over threat in Mideast

March 25, 2004|Associated Press

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates -- Americans said they were staying vigilant after US missions in the United Arab Emirates closed yesterday following a threat and the embassy in Saudi Arabia shut down for an hour over what turned out to be false rumors of an explosion in the capital.

Arab anger against the United States soared this week after Israel assassinated Sheik Ahmed Yassin, founder of the Hamas militant group, in the Gaza Strip.

Although the United States has denied a role in the assassination, Arabs blame Washington for supporting Israel and say the Americans turn a blind eye to violence by Israelis.

The State Department on Tuesday warned against a "heightened threat of terrorist attacks against US citizens and interests" as well as demonstrations and violent actions against Americans. It specified the Persian Gulf, Arabian Peninsula, Red Sea, and North Africa as areas where terrorists could target transportation and maritime interests.

In Bahrain, home to the US Navy's Fifth Fleet, teenagers pelted the walls of the US Embassy. Egyptian police increased security around the US Embassy in Cairo.

In the Emirates, the US Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the consulate in Dubai, the commercial hub of the region, closed for the day after a "specific threat" was received yesterday, embassy spokeswoman Hilary Olsin-Windecker said.

She declined to disclose the nature of the threat.