Worldwide Terror Alert Issued for US Travelers

State Department also closes embassies

What's in the "chatter" of global Internet traffic and telecommunications that prompted the precautionary closing this Sunday of US embassies and consulates in a number of Middle Eastern and Muslim countries?

The State Department isn't saying anything about specific threats. But a global travel alert the State Department issued Friday makes the origin of the threat clear: "Current information suggests that Al Qaeda and affiliated organizations continue to plan terrorist attacks both in the region and beyond," the alert states. Al Qaeda and its affiliates "may focus efforts to conduct attacks in the period between now and the end of August," it adds.