The United States closed its embassy in the Norwegian capital Thursday in response to purported threats from the al-Qaida terror network. The Arab television station Al-Jazeera broadcast an audio tape Wednesday that it said was of al-Qaida ‘s second-in-command urging attacks on interests and embassies of the United States, Britain, Australian and Norway. NATO-member Norway, a Scandinavian country of 4.5 million, is noted for its global peacemaking efforts and the home of the Nobel Peace Prize. It was not part of the U.S.-led war in Iraq. Norway secretly brokered a 1993 accord between Israel and the Palestinians and has been involved in trying to find a lasting peace in that region. Some Muslim extremists have been trying to disrupt any peace efforts. The U.S. Embassy said it had noted the threat and would be closed to the public “for security reasons” for a day, spokeswoman Kathy Perez said. No other details were available, but the nearly 8,000 Americans living in Norway were urged to “monitor events closely” and take their own security precautions. U.S. Embassies in neighboring Denmark, Sweden and Finland were open. Full Story
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