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The British embassy has indefinitely stopped public services given heightened risks of terrorism in Cairo. (AFP/File)
The UK embassy in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, has stopped all public services in view of security concerns, a British spokesperson says.
"The decision to suspend public services at the embassy has been taken for security reasons and is in the best interests of our staff," the spokesperson said on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the British embassy said in a statement that the suspension is effective from Sunday, adding, "Terrorists continue to plan attacks in Egypt. Attacks could be indiscriminate and occur without prior warning. Foreigners could be targeted in tourist resorts or other locations frequented by foreigners."
It was unclear when the embassy would be open again. The British embassy website said the British Consulate-General's office in Alexandria would be operating as normal.
This comes as Egyptian militant group Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has pledged allegiance to the Takfiri ISIL terrorists, has claimed responsibility for the killing of an American oil worker in Egypt.
The militant group, which operates in Egypt’s restive Sinai Peninsula, said on its Twitter account that it had killed William Henderson.
The group published pictures of Henderson’s passport and two identification cards, but did not mention when or how it killed him.
According to the passport and the identification cards, the 58-year-old American was from Texas and worked for Texas-based energy company Apache Corp. and Qarun Petroleum Co.
Meanwhile, a court in Egypt has designated as terrorist the Ansar Beit al-Maqdis, which has killed scores of Egyptian soldiers and police forces.