The United State (US) Embassy?s Independence Day celebration in Bahrain was cancelled and family members of embassy staff and nonessential workers were asked to leave on Saturday, a day after a mandatory evacuation order for other Americans. An employee at the US Embassy in Manama told the embassy cancelled July 4 celebrations, which were scheduled today in the capital, ?due to security concerns related to the advisory.?

The US government has issued a steady stream of warnings about the Gulf kingdom since Thursday, despite protestations from Bahrain?s prime minister, who said his country was secure and able to protect residents. Bahrain is home to the US Navy Fifth Fleet and is linked by a causeway to Saudi Arabia, which has been hit by a wave of al Qaeda attacks against Westerners.

?The Department of State warns US citizens to defer travel to Bahrain. American citizens currently in Bahrain are urged to consider departing,? the US Embassy said in an advisory on Thursday.

?The Department has received information that extremists are planning attacks against US and other Western interests in the kingdom of Bahrain. Credible information indicates that extremists remain at large and are planning attacks in Bahrain.?

The new warning, issued on Saturday night, said families of embassy staff and nonessential employees should consider voluntary evacuation, a State Department spokeswoman said. The Department of Defense issued a mandatory evacuation order on Friday for nonemergency employees and families of American military personnel.

Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld approved the ?temporary relocation,? lasting at least 30 days. The move came less than two weeks after Bahrain arrested six men on suspicion of supporting al Qaeda and planning attacks in the Gulf state, but then freed them because of lack of evidence.

Bahrain?s largely liberal, tolerant society and less restrictive lifestyle make it a haven for foreigners. But it has seen several violent protests against US policy in the Middle East. Bahrain urged Americans to stay.