World

Rome Embassy Reopens After Scare

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

January 5, 2001 / 8:23 PM EST / CBS

It came as a surprise when the U.S. embassy in Rome was reopened Monday, says CBS News Reporter Charmaine Wilkerson, after being shut down suddenly on Friday.

"We are reopening today. We are getting the word out now," an embassy spokesman said, declining to say what specifically prompted the embassy's closure.

Italian state television, however, reports that the embassy was warned that a group of Algerians, including a suicide bomber, was planning an attack. The group was reportedly connected to suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden.

In a brief statement Monday, the embassy press office said officials reopened the facility after reviewing the security situation.

"We had credible information of a security concern. We are now satisfied that our concerns have been met," the spokesman said.

U.S. Warns Americans Abroad

The United States on Friday extended for five months a worldwide caution telling Americans abroad to beware of possible attacks.

Click here for the full State Department statement and travel recommendations.

(Source: Reuters)

A press office official said the complex, located in Rome's central Via Veneto, had opened for business at its regular time at 9 a.m. (3 a.m. EST) and all staff were at work.

The embassy's perimeter was still cordoned off by police and security checks at the building entrances were reinforced. A bus stop close to the complex's high walls was moved.

Embassy staff were told to leave on Friday after what a U.S. source called a "very specific threat." A U.S. official said "there was an indication of a potential terrorist attack."

Security was stepped up at U.S. bases and consulates in Italy but only Rome offices were shut. A source said the consulate in Naples was on high security alert for a couple of weeks.

There are several U.S. military bases in Italy, including Naples and the northeastern town of Aviano.

Hours after the Rome embassy was closed, the U.S. government warned its citizens abroad to keep a low profile, be wary of mail and packages and not leave cars unattended.

The warning was a five-month extension of a caution issued in October when a U.S. ship was bombed in the Yemen port of Aden, killing 17 sailors.

U.S. Ambassador to Italy Thomas Foglietta told Rme daily La Repubblica in an interview on Monday he believed the alert was sparked by a phone call made to the embassy on Thursday.

"They (at the embassy) received a phone call...Afterwards, we talked to Italian authorities. There was a meeting between top (police) officials," Foglietta told the paper. "After that, I personally decided to shut the embassy."

Foglietta was not specific about the security threat. "I have heard of all the hypotheses that have been made on Osama bin Laden and all the other groups. I can't say anything more."

Most media attention has focused on Middle East groups, including Islamic fundamentalist bin Laden, one of the United States' most wanted people, and an Algerian rebel group.