Embassies in the Middle East have been increasing security measures following several attacks on British foreign missions as well as terror warnings.
Egyptian authorities assigned additional helmeted police officers to guard the areas surrounding the British and U.S. embassies in Cairo on Sunday upon the embassies’ requests, according to a report by UPI.
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo denied this claim.
The embassy’s security has remained “robust” since September 11 and has not changed anything of late, Philip Frayne, spokesman for the embassy told The Media Line (TML).
“We’re always vigilant here,” Frayne said. “Terrorists can strike anywhere.”
Additional Egyptian security forces have been deployed around Cairo’s British Embassy, which already employed “considerable” security measures, particularly preceding and during the war in Iraq, Michael Gifford, the embassy’s deputy head of mission told TML.
While there have been no specific threats to Egypt, Gifford said that it is “pretty common” for embassies, expatriate companies and tourist sites there to be guarded by security forces as a “precautionary measure.”
The measures were taken after terrorists bombed the British consulate in Istanbul and the U.S. warned that Al-Qa’ida might attack Americans at home and overseas.
Iranian authorities have increased security measures at the British Embassy in Tehran over the weekend after a bomb was thrown at the embassy on Friday, according to Iran’s foreign minister. There were no injuries reported.
In September, shots were fired at the British Embassy despite Iranian attempts to increase security.