KUWAIT CITY, Oct 20: The British embassy in Kuwait has temporarily suspended services because of an increased threat toward the mission, a statement on the embassy website said on Thursday.
"As of 19 October, 2011, because of an increased threat toward the British embassy, we have temporarily suspended British embassy services," the statement said.
In an update to the "terrorism section" of its travel advice, the embassy also advised British organisations and businesses to review their security measures, although it said that the threat was targeted at the mission itself.
"Whilst the threat is targeted against the embassy itself, we cannot rule out threats against other British interests in Kuwait. We therefore advise that British organisations and businesses in Kuwait review the security procedures they have in place," it said.
The embassy was closed Thursday, a working day in Kuwait, according to a recorded telephone message.
A Foreign Office spokeswoman confirmed the suspension of embassy services but did not provide more details.
"We are aware of an increased threat toward the British embassy in Kuwait. We have therefore taken the precaution of temporarily suspending embassy services," she said.
The security alert comes less than two weeks before British heir to the throne Prince Charles is due to visit Kuwait.
He is also to visit Qatar. The visit to the two countries is due to take place on Oct 31 and Nov 1.
"We are keeping security under constant review as we would with any royal visit, and we are taking advice from the Foreign Office," a spokeswoman for the prince's Clarence House office told AFP.
A spokesperson for the British embassy in Kuwait said the embassy is scheduled to reopen on Sunday after a "revision of the security situation over the weekend," which is Friday and Saturday in Muslim Kuwait.
She declined to elaborate on the nature of the threat to the embassy.
Security around the seaside embassy complex in Kuwait City was raised following the threat, with many police cars deployed in the area.
The statement issued by the embassy said: "There is a general threat from terrorism in Kuwait. Terrorists continue to issue statements threatening to carry out attacks in the Gulf region.
"These include references to attacks on Western, including European, interests... residential compounds, military, oil, transport and aviation interests," it added.
It also advised British nationals to exercise caution before sailing in Kuwaiti waters following what it called maritime restrictions issued by Kuwait last month. There were no further details.
About 20,000 British nationals live and work in Kuwait.
Kuwait hosts Camp Arifjan, a vast US logistics base in the desert south of the capital that serves as a staging post for US forces being deployed in neighbouring Iraq.
Kuwait said in April an Iranian spy cell uncovered last year had monitored the US military presence and possessed explosives to attack "strategic" facilities.
A source at Kuwait's foreign ministry source said he did not know the precise nature of the security threat against Britain, but did not expect the measures to last for long.
"They (the embassy) will resume operations on Sunday," the source told Reuters.
© Arab Times 2011
