CAIRO
Security concerns are behind Sunday's decision by the British embassy in Cairo to suspend its activities indefinitely, a source at the embassy has said.
"The procedure reflects our best assessment as to what it necessary for preserving the security of the embassy and its staff," the source, requesting anonymity, told The Anadolu Agency.
Earlier on Sunday, the British embassy in Cairo said its services will be suspended as of Sunday and urged visitors not to come to the embassy's building in central Cairo.
Egyptian authorities have been informed of the suspension, which might last for days, the source said.
"We are working closely with Egyptian authorities to find a way to reopen the embassy and resume our services as soon as possible," the source said.
The British embassy's decision comes two days after the U.S. state Department warned staffers at its Cairo embassy - located a few steps away from its British counterpart – to restrict personal movement and stay closer to their neighborhoods of residence, citing "heightened tensions and recent attacks on Westerners in the region."
Central Cairo has seen a number of limited but deadly clashes around the iconic Tahrir Square between security forces and angery protesters on the heels of a court decision dropping charges of ordering the murder of hundreds of protesters in the 2011 uprising against ousted president Hosni Mubarak and clearing his interior minister and his aides of the same accusations.
At least two demonstrators were killed near Tahrir Square during clashes with security forces on the night of the court verdict, announced last week.
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