Posted on 11/27/2003 10:49:15 AM PST by knighthawk
LONDON : Britain closed its embassy in Bulgaria for security reasons on Thursday, a week after suicide bombers killed more than 30 people in attacks on British interests in neighbouring Turkey .
A Foreign Office spokesman said the embassy in the capital Sofia would initially remain shut for 24 hours, but would not give details of the security threat.
"It will be closed for one day and we will be assessing the situation during the day," the spokesman said. "We are taking a precaution as a result of information received."
Bombers in Istanbul attacked the British consulate and the offices of London-based banking giant HSBC last Thursday.
Two bomb attacks on synagogues in the same city killed 25 people five days earlier.
The Foreign Office issued a general warning to British travellers to Bulgaria on its Web site, http://www.fco.gov.uk, on October 14.
"We believe there is an increased general threat to visibly British institutions and organisations from global terrorism as there is in all other countries in this region," the Web site said.
Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan has accused Britain of not sharing intelligence about possible future attacks.
London said on Tuesday that "further attacks may be imminent" in Istanbul and the capital Ankara .
Groups linked to Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda network claimed responsibility for the Turkish attacks.
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