August 2013 Security Threat to Americans Abroad

On Aug. 2, 2013 the U.S. State Department issued an alert to Americans traveling abroad, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, citing potential threats from al-Qa’ida and affiliated organizations in the Arabian Peninsula. The alert references a wide variety of potential tactics and targets, and remains in effect throughout the month of August. On Aug.4, the State Department released a subsequent statement  indicating that, out of an “abundance of caution,” diplomatic posts in Abu Dhabi, Amman, Cairo, Riyadh, Dhahran, Jeddah, Doha, Dubai, Kuwait, Manama, Muscat, Sana’a, Tripoli, Antananarivo, Bujumbura, Djibouti, Khartoum, Kigali, and Port Louis will remain closed following the Eid celebration, through Saturday, Aug.10. On Aug.6, the State Department issued a warning to Americans traveling in Yemen and announced a reduction in emergency U.S. Government personnel in Yemen. In light of these events, START has compiled the following background information on terrorist attacks against U.S. targets abroad, attacks on U.S. diplomatic targets in particular, and the recent activity of al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), using data from START’s Global Terrorism Database (GTD).