Paris: The French Embassy in Yemen is temporarily closed to the public because of recent violence in the country, where Al Qaida is active.
A French diplomatic official said Wednesday that consular services have been suspended. The official said embassy employees are still working, under tight security.
The official said the suspension is not linked to a particular threat against France. The official was not authorized to be publicly named under government policy.
On Saturday, an American photojournalist and a South African teacher were killed in Yemen in a US-led raid attempting to rescue them from Al Qaida captors. On Tuesday, seven Yemeni soldiers were killed by two Al Qaida suicide bomb attacks.
The French government has repeatedly warned against traveling to Yemen because of attacks and the risk of kidnapping and piracy.
