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United States embassy cancels Iftar dinner after Al Qaeda threat
US embassy tightens security as fears of Al Qaeda threat remain
7 August 2013, 12:00am
Miriam Dalli
Miriam Dalli
2 min read
US ambassador Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley
The United States embassy in Malta has strengthened its security measures after the US government announced it was temporarily closing its embassies across the Middle East and North Africa, saying it had information that al-Qaeda and its allies may increase efforts to attack Western interests this month.
A worldwide travel alert was also issued after a series of prison breaks linked to al-Qaeda in Iraq, Libya and Pakistan took place.
Asked whether the US embassy in Malta was considered to be under real threat of an al-Qaeda strike, a spokesperson for US ambassador Gina Abercombie Winstanley said the embassy had reinforced its security measures.
"The Ambassador is very concerned for the safety of American and local staff alike and takes all security threats seriously," the spokesman said.
Without delving into the specifics, the spokesman said the US embassy in Malta, like every US embassy around the world, was reviewing and adjusting its security measures regularly in light of local and global threats, as appropriate.
"For example, out of an abundance of caution the US Embassy in Malta cancelled the scheduled iftar dinner celebrating Ramadan," he said.
The al-Qaeda treat is linked to a series of prison breaks that led to the escape of hundreds of terrorists and other criminals over the past month according to the Interpol.
Lawmakers briefed on the intelligence called the threat among the most serious they had seen in recent years, while General Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the US joint chiefs of staff, said the specific locations and targets were not known, but "the intent is to attack Western, not just US interests".
Al Jazeera has reported that 248 prisoners escaped from a prison in northwest Pakistan on Monday when fighters disguised as policemen carried out the attack using rocket launchers and machine guns.
More than 1,100 prisoners escaped from the Al Kuafiya jail in Libya with many of the escapees considered to be highly dangerous and only a small proportion have been recaptured.
In Iraq, Al Qaeda said it had helped as many as 500 inmates break out of the Abu Ghraib prison in another apparently well-planned attack.
Miriam Dalli joined MaltaToday.com.mt in 2010 becoming assistant editor f...
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America and the Allies are closing embassies, consulates and the like to protect their citizens and their borders, and we get the likes of Cecilia Malmstrom who tried to force massive numbers of potential terrorists into Malta at a time when there were over 1100 such terrorists who escaped from jail in Libya. Do not we deserve protection like the rest of Europe? Our queen Cecilia is in a highly protected office receiving hundreds of thousands of euros in salaries and perks and she forces us Maltese to take in thousands of illegal immigrants and some potential al Qaeda terrorists to cause havoc in our country. Malta is truly a second rate EU country.
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The Ambassador made a good move,cancels Iftar dinner.More than 1100 prisoners escaped from Al Kuafiya jail in Libya.So some of them can come in with out passport as illegal immigrants."Do we need all this in Malta?"
Lino Camilleri •
While America closes it's embassies Al Qaeda frees over 2,000 hardened terrorists from prison. That can only mean one thing: Al Qaeda is back.
Here’s a quick recap:
July 22: Al Qaeda in Iraq attacks two key prisons, freeing up to 800, many of them hardened terrorists.
July 27: Al Qaeda frees over 1,000 in an attack on a prison in Benghazi.
July 29: Al Qaeda and other Islamists free over 250 imprisoned in northwest Pakistan.
August 4: U.S. closes 21 embassies and consulates in the Middle East and North Africa over fears of an al Qeada attack.
August 6: The United Kingdom and U.S. pull their diplomatic staff out of Yemen and urge their citizens to leave.
Al Qaeda is back, and it just busted an army out of prison. There’s no doubt it is a major threat to the West. The Middle East and North Africa will once again dominate the headlines
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Let me give my full support to the country that I love after my other country that I was born in. If need be I will offer my military experience as a front. My sorrow goes to us and to those who believe in charities to all these people invading us, unfortunately with no record or recognition how many are coming pretending to be innocent emigrants?
