UK evacuates Yemen embassy staff amid threat

The move comes after the U.S. State Department ordered non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to leave the country following the threat by al-Qaeda

Britain’s Foreign Office says it has evacuated all staff from its embassy in Yemen due to increased security concerns.

The moves come shortly after the U.S. State Department ordered non-essential personnel at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen to leave the country following the threat by al-Qaeda that has triggered temporary shutdowns of 19 American diplomatic posts across the Middle East and Africa.

The Foreign Office said the British embassy staff were “temporarily withdrawn to the U.K.” on Tuesday. It declined to comment further.

Previously, the U.K. had said the embassy would be closed until the end of the Muslim festival of Eid later this week.