Myriad of Embassies Close = "Security Incident" in

[yoda]

LAGOS, Nigeria — The United States (search) has temporarily closed its consulate in Lagos because of an unspecified "security incident," the U.S. Embassy said Friday, and those of Britain, Germany, Italy, Russia and other nations followed suit.

The U.S. consulate in Lagos was shut down on Thursday afternoon "because of a security issue of mutual concern to the United States Mission in Nigeria and the government of Nigeria," and would remain closed on Friday, according to U.S. Embassy (search) officials in the Nigerian capital of Abuja.

U.S. Embassy spokesman Rudolph Stewart said by telephone from Abuja that there had been a "security incident" near the Lagos (search) consulate.

"It's an ongoing incident which is currently under investigation," he said, without elaborating. Stewart said Nigerian police were "working closely with us on this matter."

About 100 armed police patrolled the Lagos street where the U.S. consulate and several other diplomatic missions are located. A van of the Nigerian police bomb disposal squad was parked nearby.

All diplomatic missions on the street were closed, including those of Italy, Germany, Britain and Russia.

Asked why they had closed, a policeman searching cars said: "There's a threat to the American Embassy, a terrorist threat."


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,159865,00.html