SAN`A, Yemen?The U.S. Embassy in Yemen suspended most consular services Monday and warned Americans they could be targeted by terrorists, while Yemeni security officials stepped up protection of the compound, saying it received a specific threat.

It was not the first time Americans have faced threats in Yemen, where a terrorist attack on a U.S. warship killed 17 sailors in 2000, but the security measures came as the United States presses Yemen’s government to crack down on any militants with al Qaeda links in the country.

A Yemeni security official told The Associated Press that the U.S. Embassy recently received a threat but would not comment further.

An embassy official declined to comment on a specific threat, but pointed to a security communique warning Americans that the embassy “believes there is an increased terrorist threat to U.S. interests in Yemen, including the U.S. Embassy.”