LONDON (AP) — Britain's Foreign Office says reports have emerged about a potential threat against the U.K. embassy in Tripoli, the capital of Libya.

The agency said Monday it was working closely with the Libyan government in response to the reports. It would not elaborate, but its statement came at a time of heightened tensions in North Africa.

Last week the British government joined Germany, the Netherlands and Canada in urging their citizens to evacuate the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi in response to what was described as an imminent threat to Westerners.

Libya remains unstable following the 2011 civil war that overthrew longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Britain has not changed its travel advice, which recommends against all but essential travel to Tripoli.

Elsewhere in North Africa, French and African land forces are battling al-Qaida-linked Islamists in northern Mali, while a renewed bout of unrest has gripped Egypt following the two-year anniversary of the revolution that toppled strongman Hosni Mubarak.

In addition, a Jan. 16 terror attack on Algeria's Ain Amenas natural gas plant in the Sahara ignited a four-day siege with Algerian forces in which at least 37 hostages and 29 militants were killed. An al-Qaida-affiliated group has claimed responsibility for the attack.