Citing the “continued potential of terrorist attacks,” the US State Department announced the single-day closure of 21 embassies across Asia and Africa and issued a “worldwide” travel alert that will extend through the end of the month.
A testimony of the non-specificity of the “threat,” the worldwide travel alert is exactly what it sounds like, warning Americans that they are at risk if they travel literally anywhere.
While the embassies closed are in Muslim nations and will take a day off Sunday nominally because of al-Qaeda, the travel alert insists that al-Qaeda might conceivably get you anywhere in the world because they want to get Americans, and that travelers should avoid “tourist” spots.
House Intelligence Committee member Rep. C.A. Ruppersberger (D – MD) defended the travel alert, saying “we got intelligence,” and that there might be an attack on “Americans or our allies” somewhere on the planet.
