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U.S. consulate closes after attack threat
![]() Pakistani men sift through the aftermath of Tuesday's bombing in Peshawar. RELATED
YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS(CNN) -- The U.S. consulate in Peshawar, Pakistan, was closed Monday because of a "very specific and credible threat," three State Department officials told CNN. Two officials said the information indicated that an attack was in the "planning stages," targeting Americans or the consulate. One official said the information came "rapidly and was compelling enough to have the consulate close quickly." On Tuesday, a bomb reportedly killed one person and injured others at a bazaar in Peshawar. However, officials don't know whether the blast was related to the threat information. News reports said an explosive attached to a motorcycle detonated. "It was a time device mounted on a motorbike parked outside a building that mostly have offices of local lawyers," senior police official Saeed Wazir told reporters in Peshawar, according to Reuters. Because security was tightened Tuesday around the consulate and government buildings, the bombers might have attacked an easier target, the State Department sources said. A message from the State Department said the consulate "will be temporarily closed for all services until further notice." "American citizens requiring services during this time are advised to go the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad ... or to the consulates in Lahore or Karachi." Peshawar is capital of the North-West Frontier Province and is near Afghanistan. Islamist militants who back the Taliban operate in the border region. CNN's Elise Labott contributed to this report. Reuters contributed to this report.
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