U.S. to close some embassies Sunday for security reasons

WASHINGTON | Thu Aug 1, 2013 7:13pm EDT

(Reuters) - U.S. embassies that would normally be open this Sunday - including those in Abu Dhabi, Baghdad, Cairo - will be closed that day because of unspecified security concerns, the U.S. State Department said on Thursday.

"The Department of State has instructed certain U.S. embassies and consulates to remain closed or to suspend operations on Sunday, August 4th," State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters at her daily briefing. "Security considerations have led us to take this precautionary step."

Harf declined to detail the "security considerations" or name the embassies and consulates that would be closed but a senior State Department official later told reporters they were those that would normally have been open on Sunday.

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