Al-Qaeda threat forces US to close Middle East embassies on Sunday

The United States has announced temporarily closure of its embassies and consulates in Arab and Middle Eastern countries on Sunday citing security concerns.

CBS News reported that a Senate Bill was passed to take measures for beefing up security at U.S. embassies and create a training center for diplomatic security personnel.

The bill is in response to the September 2012 attack on the diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya, where Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

According to the report, at least 14 embassies will remain closed on Sunday in accordance with the State Department's guidance, including the U.S. embassies in Bahrain, Egypt, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen, Afghanistan and Bangladesh.

The State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, said that the decision was taken out of caution and care for employees and visitors.