On Friday the U.S. State Department issued a worldwide travel alert because of an unspecified al Qaeda threat. The location of that threat, the department said in a bulletin, is "particularly in the Middle East and North Africa, and possibly occurring in or emanating from the Arabian Peninsula." As a result, an unprecedented 22 embassies and consulates in 17 countries in the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia closed for a day on Sunday. Sunday is also the 27th day of Ramadan and a particularly holy day for the world's Muslims as it is the "Night of Power," when the first verses of the Koran were revealed to the Prophet Mohammed.
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Bergen, Cahall: U.S. issued global travel alert, 21 embassies, consulates close Aug. 4
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That day is Ramadan 'Night of Power,' also seen by al Qaeda as good night for martyrdom
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They say night of power has brought earlier terror attacks; embassies a favored target
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Writers: Target may be Egypt, where earlier attack aimed; jailbreaks may also be factor
For @placeholder, these diplomatic compounds are attractive targets because they symbolize American power and because their locations are widely known.