Posted on 08/05/2002 12:33:31 AM PDT by HAL9000
KARACHI, Pakistan, Aug 05, 2002 (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) -- The United States has closed its consulate in the Pakistani city of Karachi because of security threats, U.S. officials said Monday.
"The consulate general has been closed for security reasons," said a spokeswoman at the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad. She would not say if the closure was permanent or give any further details.
Consulate staff were sent home Monday morning and told to wait for further instructions, said a consulate official in Karachi, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Karachi city police chief Asad Jahangir told The Associated Press he had not heard of any specific threats to the heavily guarded consulate building.
Karachi, a sprawling city of 14 million people, has seen extremist violence and anti-Western sentiment following last year's start of U.S. military operations in neighboring Afghanistan. The government of Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has been a key supporter of the U.S. campaign.
On June 14, 12 people - all Pakistani - were killed and 50 injured in a car bombing outside the U.S. consulate.
Following the blast, the main road in front of the consulate was sealed for weeks. Traffic later resumed but only on the side of the road away from the consulate, and with strict police checks of all vehicles.
Even before the June attack, security was tight. The sidewalk in front of the U.S. consulate has been closed off by large concrete blocks, as have smaller streets near the structure. More blocks and barriers have been added since the blast.
One or two Pakistani armored troop carriers have also been parked in front, and police and paramilitary rangers stand guard.
Last month, France closed its consulate building in Karachi and moved its diplomats and staff to the more heavily guarded British consulate.
Islamic militants have threatened to strike against American interests in Pakistan in retaliation for Pakistan's support for the U.S.-led war against terror and its ongoing crackdown on Muslim extremists. Similar threats were also made after a Pakistani court handed down the death sentence to one of those convicted in the murder of U.S. reporter Daniel Pearl.
The threats come despite stepped-up pressure by Pakistani security forces on Taliban and al-Qaida members who fled the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan.
Last month, police in Karachi arrested three men accused in an attempt to kill Pakistani President Musharraf in April. The plot failed when a vehicle rigged with explosives did not detonate as Musharraf's convoy drove past, police said. The same vehicle subsequently was used in the U.S. Consulate bombing, according to police.
Copyright 2002 Associated Press, All rights reserved
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