British Embassy in Kuwait Resumes Services

The British embassy in Kuwait reopened its doors to the public Sunday following a temporary suspension of services in the wake of a heightened security threat, a mission spokeswoman said.

"The embassy has resumed all its public services," the spokeswoman told Agence France Presse. "(But) we still have increased security for precautionary measures."

The embassy suspended public services late Wednesday due to increased security concerns but did not elaborate on the nature of any potential threat.

In an update to the "terrorism section" of its travel advisory, the embassy also told British organizations and businesses to review their security measures, though the threat was aimed only at the mission.

The embassy also advised British nationals to exercise caution before sailing in Kuwaiti waters following maritime restrictions issued by Kuwait last month. No further details were provided.

The security alert came less than two weeks before British heir to the throne Prince Charles is due to visit Kuwait.

He is also to visit Qatar. The visit to the two countries is due to take place on October 31 and November 1.

About 20,000 British nationals live and work in Kuwait.

The last major violent incident in the oil-rich Gulf state was in January 2005, when security forces clashed with a group of Islamists believed to have links to al-Qaida.