. >>> we'll be joined by terrorism analyst evan kohlmann. >>> also ahead, the big chill. when will mother nature release her icy grip on the mid-atlantic region and the northeast? you're watching msnbc sunday. >>> right now on msnbc, break news. the u.s. embassy in yemen has been shut down after ongoing fears of an al qaeda attack in the region. >>> weather warning. a record cold snap in parts of the country. the weather channel forecast is ahead. >>> new pictures as an unhappy elephant runs into a crowd. we'll tell what you may have set him off, whether anybody was injured. >>> also, how hollywood plans to top a monster year at the box office. >>> good morning, everybody. i'm david chuter in today for alex witt. we'll have all those stories. >>> plus, the big changes coming to your credit card account. >>> first up, this sunday morning we're following breaking news. an active threat by al qaeda has forced a closure of the u.s. embassy in yemen. the suspect in the christmas day plane bombing attempts as he got his marching orders from al qaeda in yemen. an emerging front

. >>> for more on all of this we are joined live by nbc news terrorism analyst evan kohlmann. evan, first the timing of the decision to close the u.s. and british embassies today. >> it makes sense if you think about the reports that now the strikes, air strikes that we saw on al qaeda camps just in the last few weeks, took place specifically because of the fact that we had indications there were additional plans to attack u.s. -- the u.s. embassy, western embassies in sana, in yemen. it is part of a pattern. just 1 1/2 years ago in september of 2 240u8 al qae2008 arabian peninsula targeted the u.s. embassy in sana. it was memorialized in a video they released. they said in retaliation for these air trix strikes we will k western embassies. it makes sense it would be a british or u.s. embassy. i think it was a step of prudence but it was probably a wise one. >> i want to get your reaction to a statement by the ncse's michael lighter in -- "the failed attempt to destroy northwest flight 253 is the starkest of reminders of the insidious terror threats we face. while this attempt

for some perspective, i'm joined now by nbc terrorism analyst evan kohlmann. t talking a few minutes ago, evan, how britain said yesterday they want to call international conference about the growing problem of islamic extremism that's based in yemen. what can we say about that? >> well, look, there has been a network that has been in yemen foreign a long period of time. if we go all the way back to 2002, there was a suicide boat bombing attack very similar to the attack on the "uss cole" on a french oil tanker. ever since then we have seen occasional activity. but it's really been in the last two years, it's really been since january 2008, where the lion's share of activity we have seen recently has popped up and the significant activity that would be a threat beyond the borders of yemen. again, one of the big parts of that is the return of a group of saudi, guantanamo bay veterans, people that were mid ranking al qaeda commanders, who were returned back to saudi arabia, who fled their rehabilitation program, and who rejoined al qaeda in yemen and who bav it a