U.S. missions in Saudi Arabia closed after terrorist threats

The U.S. diplomatic missions in Saudi Arabia will be closed Monday and Tuesday. The reason is that terrorist attacks are possible on the buildings.

A U.S. statement said the embassy in Riyadh and the consulates in the Red Sea city of Jeddah and the eastern city of Dhahran are closed "in response to a threat against U.S. government buildings in the kingdom," AP reports.

But Saudi Interior Ministry spokesman General Mansour al-Turki told reporters there has been no confirmed information about any imminent terrorist threat in the kingdom.

According to Reuters, the embassy advised US citizens to maintain vigilance and take appropriate steps to increase security awareness.

Last month, the U.S. warned Americans in Saudi Arabia that militants were planning fresh attacks in the world’s biggest oil exporter, and later banned military personnel from travelling around the kingdom. But it said it had no specific information about the timing, target or method of any possible attacks.

U.S. diplomatic missions in the kingdom have been closed several times in recent years because of threats of violence.