The US embassy in Islamabad on Thursday banned its staff from restaurants and markets in the Pakistani capital for several days either side of the anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death. “Due to security concerns, the US embassy has restricted its employees from going to restaurants and markets in Islamabad April 27 – May 5,” a warning on the embassy website said.
“We recommend that US citizens in Islamabad during this period take similar precautions.” A US official speaking on condition of anonymity said the warning was issued in response to information about a specific threat. But Pakistan’s deputy interior minister Imtiaz Safdar Warraich told AFP he had no information about a threat.