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CNN Live At Daybreak
State Department to Close U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia
Aired May 21, 2003 - 05:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The heightened terror alert has also prompted the State Department to close the U.S. Embassy and two consulates in Saudi Arabia.
CNN's senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar joins us by phone with the latest from Riyadh -- good morning, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Indeed, the U.S. Embassy and its consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, the British Embassy, its consulates and trade office and the German Embassy are closed today. We are told it is likely that they will not reopen, at least until Sunday. In a message that the U.S. Embassy sent out yesterday, they said it was the result of what they described as credible information that new attacks were being planned against unspecified targets. They also said that there was information that such attacks may be, in their words, imminent.
Now, there's been a number of other steps taken throughout the kingdom. The international schools have closed and we are told that some of the residential compounds where many Westerners live, many foreigners live, including amongst them Arabs, some Saudis, that they, in fact, are taking additional security measures. Some of those compounds went on what they call lockdown last night, where they told their residents to stay indoors, close their gates and refuse to permit anyone to enter.
All of this, Carol, comes about as for days we have been hearing from U.S. officials and Saudi officials here in Saudi Arabia that there has been an increased level of what they describe as electronic chatter, which suggests that there may, indeed, be some new attacks in the planning stages and a view that those attacks may, in fact, be imminent -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Are Americans leaving Saudi Arabia? I understand they're leaving in droves. Is that true?
MACVICAR: Well, Americans have been encouraged by the U.S. State Department to leave Saudi Arabia. Some time ago the U.S. State Department took a decision that non-essential personnel and dependents should leave the country.
In addition to that, obviously the continued travel advisory is that if you don't have to be in Saudi Arabia, you should not be here. U.S. officials continuing to emphasize that and suggesting very strongly that if you don't feel comfortable with your security in the country, then you should be leaving. Some of the Americans that I spoke to certainly at one of those compounds which was hit last week had indicated that they certainly were planning to leave. Many of them had sent their families out of the country and many of them were planning to leave as soon as they could possibly wind up their business affairs here and get out of the country.
It is clear that the foreign population here is going down. There are other people, however, who are saying that they will stay here. And it's important to note, I think, Carol, that some of the U.S.'s coalition intelligence partners -- that means countries that share the same intelligence with the United States, that they would see the analysis of that intelligence, countries like Australia and Canada have not closed their embassies here in Saudi Arabia and are open for business as usual -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Sheila MacVicar reporting live for us from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this morning.
For a complete look at the terror threat at home and abroad, just click onto our Web site. The address, of course, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 21, 2003 - 05:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The heightened terror alert has also prompted the State Department to close the U.S. Embassy and two consulates in Saudi Arabia.
CNN's senior international correspondent Sheila MacVicar joins us by phone with the latest from Riyadh -- good morning, Sheila.
SHEILA MACVICAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
Indeed, the U.S. Embassy and its consulates in Jeddah and Dhahran, the British Embassy, its consulates and trade office and the German Embassy are closed today. We are told it is likely that they will not reopen, at least until Sunday. In a message that the U.S. Embassy sent out yesterday, they said it was the result of what they described as credible information that new attacks were being planned against unspecified targets. They also said that there was information that such attacks may be, in their words, imminent.
Now, there's been a number of other steps taken throughout the kingdom. The international schools have closed and we are told that some of the residential compounds where many Westerners live, many foreigners live, including amongst them Arabs, some Saudis, that they, in fact, are taking additional security measures. Some of those compounds went on what they call lockdown last night, where they told their residents to stay indoors, close their gates and refuse to permit anyone to enter.
All of this, Carol, comes about as for days we have been hearing from U.S. officials and Saudi officials here in Saudi Arabia that there has been an increased level of what they describe as electronic chatter, which suggests that there may, indeed, be some new attacks in the planning stages and a view that those attacks may, in fact, be imminent -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Are Americans leaving Saudi Arabia? I understand they're leaving in droves. Is that true?
MACVICAR: Well, Americans have been encouraged by the U.S. State Department to leave Saudi Arabia. Some time ago the U.S. State Department took a decision that non-essential personnel and dependents should leave the country.
In addition to that, obviously the continued travel advisory is that if you don't have to be in Saudi Arabia, you should not be here. U.S. officials continuing to emphasize that and suggesting very strongly that if you don't feel comfortable with your security in the country, then you should be leaving. Some of the Americans that I spoke to certainly at one of those compounds which was hit last week had indicated that they certainly were planning to leave. Many of them had sent their families out of the country and many of them were planning to leave as soon as they could possibly wind up their business affairs here and get out of the country.
It is clear that the foreign population here is going down. There are other people, however, who are saying that they will stay here. And it's important to note, I think, Carol, that some of the U.S.'s coalition intelligence partners -- that means countries that share the same intelligence with the United States, that they would see the analysis of that intelligence, countries like Australia and Canada have not closed their embassies here in Saudi Arabia and are open for business as usual -- Carol.
COSTELLO: I understand.
Sheila MacVicar reporting live for us from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this morning.
For a complete look at the terror threat at home and abroad, just click onto our Web site. The address, of course, cnn.com, AOL keyword: CNN.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
