Bomb threat closes U.S. Embassy in UAE
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (CNN) -- A bomb threat temporarily closed the U.S. Embassy and consulate general offices in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, according to a senior United Arab Emirates official and a statement from the embassy.
The embassy received a tip that a Somali man threatened to bomb a new building of the embassy in Abu Dhabi, the UAE official said. The man has since been arrested and is being questioned by police, the official said.
The embassy said in a statement that it will be "assessing security posture" of the embassy and consulate general Thursday and Friday and plans to reopen both Saturday. The U.S. Embassy is located in the capital, Abu Dhabi, and the consulate general is in Dubai.
The embassy statement said it has no specific threat against Americans in the UAE, but that the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide caution after Israel's assassination of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin outside a Gaza mosque Monday.
Yassin's assassination prompted protests throughout the Middle East, with Palestinian leaders blaming the United States for supplying Israel with the military equipment used in the attack.
Yassin founded the Palestinian group Hamas and was considered its spiritual leader. The United States and European Union list Hamas as a terrorist organization.
