Embassies in Sweden receive threats

"Five or six embassies have received a letter in Arabic concerning their presence in Iraq. We have forwarded the information to the Stockhlolm police," spokeswoman Maria Haakansson told AFP.

She did not specify which countries were concerned, but the Australian ambassador to Sweden, Richard Rowe, confirmed that his embassy had received a threatening letter.

"The letter has been sent to the relevant Australian authorities for analysis," he told the TT news agency.

The Swedish security services, Saepo, also said that a threatening letter was sent from Sweden to the Canadian embassy in the Philippines several weeks ago. The Canadian embassy in Stockholm was not among those receiving threatening letters.

"For us, the facts do not suggest an emergency," said Margareta Linderoth, deputy head of the Swedish security services (Saepo), stressing that Canada has not been militarily involved in the US-led campaign in Iraq.

Meanwhile, elite "Cobra" police deployed Tuesday near the embassies of El Salvador, Britain and Spain, after al-Qaeda-linked groups threatened those countries for sending troops to Iraq, the security minister said in Tegucigalpa.

"The security measures are being reinforced at the missions of the countries involved in the Iraq situation," Security Minister Oscar Alvarez said.

On Monday, Salvadoran President Elias Antonio Saca requested extra security for the country's embassies around the world after receiving word of threats.