King praised the government for shutting down its embassies on Sunday. King: Plot 'most specific I've seen'

Chairman of the Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence Rep. Peter King confirmed on Friday that “something serious is being planned,” prompting the shutdown of 21 U.S. embassies across the world.

“There’s very little doubt, if any, that something serious is being planned,” the New York Republican told CNN’s Wolf Blitzer on a phone call in “The Situation Room.” “I’ve been getting briefed fairly regularly over the last seven or eight years at least and also pretty heavily before then and this is the most specific I’ve seen.”


“It is not just trying to connect the dots. That is very specific information about the fact that there is a plot, that attacks are planned, but again it’s not certain as to where,” he added.

( Also on POLITICO: Al-Qaeda threat triggers travel alert)

King said that the information had been developing for a while, but remained tight-lipped about any possible sources and other details, mostly reiterating known information.

“[Al Qaeda] would be, I would say, the main driving force here, that’s pretty much what’s been confirmed by the government, that it is coming out of Yemen and it is Al Qaeda in the Arabian peninsula…where most of these threats do come from.”

The Republican also praised the government for its actions in closing down embassies and sending out travel advisories saying they were doing “exactly the right thing,” and he insisted there was no need for panic.

“You see unprecedented actions, 21 embassies being closed, the global travel advisory being given. This is being taken very, very seriously,” he said. “[It] shows how seriously our government is taking it and I give them credit. I think the government is doing exactly the right thing.”

( Also on POLITICO: List of diplomatic posts closed Sunday due to threat)

“I think that everyone in the intelligence community and the defense community and the diplomatic community is doing what they have to do,” King said.

On Friday morning, the State Department issued a worldwide travel alert and said some embassies around the world would be closed on Sunday due to the threat.