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Canada on Monday closed its embassy in Cairo to civilians, citing security reasons but providing very little details about a specific threat. It follows Britain, which shut down its embassy to the public on Sunday.
The move comes as militant attacks in Egypt continue to be on the rise, with extremist group Islamic State (IS) calling for attacks on Westerners in the region.
In a statement, the Canadian embassy said that it will be shut down on Monday “due to security reasons”, sending an email to all Canadian citizens currently in Egypt that this would be the case “until further notice”; the US embassy in Cairo still remained open on Monday.
The British embassy also remained closed on Monday – according to British Ambassador John Casson, the decision was taken “to ensure the security of the embassy and our staff”.
“We are working to restore full services as quickly as possible”, he said.
Both Canada and the UK have previously warned their citizens that travel to restive parts of Egypt, including the Sinai Peninsula, parts of which are controlled by IS ally Ansar Beit al-Maqdis.
Foreign embassies have stepped up their security measures since former President Mohammed Morsi was ousted last year, prompting a rise in attacks on Egyptian security personnel. Most attacks have occurred in the Sinai Peninsula, but several lethal attacks have also targeted Cairo and other Egyptian cities. However, foreign missions or interests have not been directly targeted so far.
The IS, which has seized swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, has called on affiliated and allied groups to target foreigners in their countries, especially those belonging to countries that are a part of the US-led coalition battling it. Both Canada and the UK are a part of the anti-IS coalition.