U.S. Embassy In Rome To Reopen As Soon As Possible
ROME (AFP) - The U.S. embassy in Rome, closed for security reasons, will reopen as soon as the situation permits, an embassy statement released on Sunday said.
U.S. officials were closely evaluating security issues at the embassy - which was shut down late on Friday after the United States issued a "worldwide caution" to Americans over possible terrorist threats - the statement added.
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher refused to say Friday whether the embassy had received a specific threat or information about any possible risk.
Diplomats in Rome said Saturday however there was a "serious risk" that a group in the Balkans, allegedly linked to Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden, was planning an attack on the U.S. embassy in Rome.
The news agency Ansa, quoting well-informed Italian security sources, said Sunday the group planned to launched a laser-guided missile against the embassy.
Security was stepped up across Italy in front of U.S. military and civil buildings, as well as at Fiumicino airport in Rome.
Last year, amid increasing tension in the Middle East, Washington temporarily shut down dozens of diplomatic missions throughout the region, North Africa and South Asia.
In October, the American naval destroyer USS Cole was attacked by suicide bombers that nearly sank the vessel during a refueling stop in Yemen, killing 17 sailors and injuring 39.
