Originally published on August 5, 2013<br /><br />The United States said it would keep a number of embassies in the Middle East and Africa closed for up to a week due to an al Qaeda threat lawmakers have called the most serious in years, according to a Reuters report.<br /><br />The State Department announced that 19 embassies and consulates would be closed until Saturday, citing growing threats from an al Qaeda affiliate in Yemen.<br /><br />Britain, France and Germany followed suit and also closed their embassies in Yemen's capital, Sanaa for security reasons.<br /><br />According to U.S. officials, Yemen is of particularly concern and the government there is "on high alert against possible attacks in the days to come," according to a senior U.S. security official cited by CNN.<br /><br />Several U.S. officials suggested increased "chatter" among senior al Qaeda operatives and hinted at the planning of a possible attack.<br /><br />The intelligence was gathered in part by an NSA surveillance program that electronically collects communications, known as intercepts, on cell phones and emails.<br /><br />Increased security was on display outside Western embassies in Sanaa on Sunday following the U.S. warning.<br /><br />"There is a high level of coordination with the American side, and these measures have been taken due to fears of attacks by al Qaeda," said a Yemeni security official cited by Reuters.<br /><br />Vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Saxby Chambliss, said the chatter was "very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11", while member of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Peter King called the information "the most specific I've seen."<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
