The State Department warned U.S. Embassy staffers in the Egyptian capital on Thursday to stick close to their homes and restrict personal travel after recent attacks on Westerners in the region. "In light of the heightened tensions and recent attacks on Westerners in the region, the U.S. Embassy has recommended that its staff carefully scrutinize their personal movements and consider staying close to their residences and neighborhoods over the coming period," the agency's Bureau of Diplomatic Security said in a memo. Security analysts have warned that ISIS and affiliated groups have ramped up their targeting of Western nationals in recent weeks.
The ISIS-linked group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis claimed this week that it was responsible for killing William Henderson, an oil worker from Texas, in the town of Karama in August. Also this week, dozens of people were arrested and at least one person killed in Cairo in demonstrations after all charges were dismissed against deposed President Hosni Mubarak. And a woman arrested in connection with the brutal murder of an American teacher in Abu Dhabi may have also been targeting westerners, police said Thursday.
IN-DEPTH
One Dead, Several Injured After Egypt's Mubarak Cleared of Murder
Woman Arrested in Abu Dhabi Killing Wanted to 'Terrorize': Cops
SOCIAL
— M. Alex Johnson