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US embassy in Manila closes due to threat
(AP)
Updated: 2005-12-06 09:53
The U.S. Embassy in Manila closed to the public on Tuesday after receiving
"plausible threat information," the embassy said in a statement.
The statement, posted on its Web site, did not elaborate. It said the embassy
would resume all public operations, including visa operations, "when deemed
appropriate."
Manila Radio DZMM reported that police operatives were inside the embassy
compound along Manila Bay after a bomb threat Monday night, but officials did
not comment immediately.
"The threat we received we felt was plausible enough to merit closing
temporarily services to the public," embassy spokesman Matthew Lussenhop told
Radio DZMM.
Although often mentioned as a potential terrorist target, the embassy has
rarely closed.
The Philippines is home to the al-Qaida-linked Abu Sayyaf group, which is on
a U.S. list of terrorist organizations, as well as Indonesian-based Jemaah
Islamiyah operatives.
U.S. troops have been playing an active role in counterterrorism training of
Filipino soldiers, and are providing intelligence and other assets to
authorities battling militants in the southern Philippines.
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