The US embassy in Colombo has announced it will be closed from 9:30am on Monday due to anticipated protests against the anti-Islam movie that has sparked protests worldwide and led to the deaths of US embassy officials in Libya.
The embassy urged US citizens to avoid travelling near the embassy on Monday and to be cautious around protestors.
"While no protest-related violence has been directed at foreigners, we remind U.S. citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful can turn violent. U.S. citizens should avoid large crowds and monitor media coverage of local events. If you encounter demonstrations, or large crowds, you should remain calm and depart the area quickly and avoid confrontation," the High Commission said in a notification.
The embassy was already forced to close early on Friday, after protests outside its premises.
In a statement, released in English, Sinhala and Tamil, the embassy reiterated the US government’s rejection of said video and stressed it had nothing to do with the video.
