Originally published on August 6, 2013<br /><br />The closure of US embassies across the Middle East and Africa has been extended to Saturday as reports of a new type of liquid explosive have surfaced.<br /><br />The alleged new explosive technique is believed to have been developed by al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and reportedly consists of a liquid that can turn clothes into explosives.<br /><br />AQAP is the home of alleged al Qaeda bomb maker Ibrahim al-Asiri who is the suspected mastermind of several previous al Qaeda bomb plots.<br /><br />Clothes dipped into the liquid become explosive when dry, according to senior U.S. government officials.<br /><br />Such an explosive would be extremely difficult to detect by conventional security measures. <br /><br />The decision to close the embassies came after U.S. officials intercepted communications between AQAP and al Qaeda's leadership in Pakistan that suggested a major operation was underway.<br /><br />--------------------------------------------------------<br /><br />TomoNews is your daily source for top animated news. We've combined animation and video footage with a snarky personality to bring you the biggest and best stories from around the world.<br /><br />For news that's fun and never boring, visit our channel:<br />https://www.youtube.com/user/TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Subscribe to stay updated on all the top stories:<br />http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=TomoNewsUS<br /><br />Stay connected with us here:<br />Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS<br />Google+ http://gplus.to/TomoNewsUS
