U.S. Cites Terror Threat in Shutting Embassy

The Defense Department has alerted all U.S. interests in Kenya to a terrorist threat, prompting the closure of the American Embassy in Nairobi, the capital, officials said.

Information about a threat to a specific target prompted the Pentagon to raise the threat level in the African nation to high, according to a U.S. defense official. The embassy could remain closed Monday and Tuesday.

The alert came after U.S. intelligence received fresh reports suggesting Al Qaeda operatives in Kenya were proceeding with plans to carry out an attack, a U.S. official said.