Suicide Bomber Threat Alleged as Motive for Rome Embassy Closure
The U.S. Embassy, abruptly closed Friday because of a terrorist threat, is unlikely to reopen before Tuesday, an embassy spokesman said.
“The embassy continues to assess its security situation and hopes to be able to open to the public as soon as that situation permits,” the spokesman said.
Privately, embassy officials say they expect the embassy to reopen within a day or two.
It was the first security closure in a decade at the embassy, which shut its doors in 1991 at the outset of the Persian Gulf War, as did many other U.S. embassies worldwide.
U.S. officials in Rome and Washington refused to discuss the nature of the threat, but Italian state television and other Italian media said the embassy was warned that a team of three Algerians, including a suicide bomber, planned to attack the embassy Friday.
The reports linked the attackers to Osama bin Laden, the Saudi millionaire believed to be responsible for financing a network of Islamic terrorists.
American intelligence had suggested before Christmas that Bin Laden was planning to hit U.S. targets worldwide at the beginning of the year, and U.S. bases were put on high alert.
The State Department on Friday also cautioned U.S. citizens abroad to be on alert for terrorist attacks.
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