The United States has issued an extraordinary global travel warning to Americans about the threat of an al-Qaida attack and closed down 21 embassies and consulates across the Muslim world for the weekend.
The alert was the first of its kind since an announcement preceding the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
This one comes with the scars still fresh from last year's deadly September 11 attack on a US diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, and with the Obama administration and Congress determined to prevent any similar breach of an American Embassy or consulate.
"There is a significant threat stream and we're reacting to it," said General Martin Dempsey, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
He told ABC News that the threat was "more specific" than previous ones and the "intent is to attack Western, not just US interests".
The State Department warning urged American travellers to take extra precautions overseas, citing potential dangers involved with public transportation systems and other prime sites for tourists and noting that previous terrorist attacks have centred on subway and rail networks as well as airplanes and boats.
It suggested travellers sign up for State Department alerts and register with US consulates in the countries they visit.
The statement said that al-Qaida or its allies might target either US government or private American interests. The alert expires on August 31.
American intelligence sources must have picked up something pretty significant to institute a global travel warning of this magnitude. It's not something that any country would do lightly.
And it is a timely reminder that the international environment that we live in is anything but benign, and that at any time there are fanatics who don't care how much carnage they inflict for "the cause".
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