The British embassy in Cairo has been closed temporarily after security barriers were removed from outside the building. Barriers in the city's Garden City district were removed by the Egyptian authorities on Sunday, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. While the embassy remains operational, the main embassy building will be closed while the impact of these changes is reviewed. This decision follows growing calls within Egypt for a retaliatory measure regarding the UK's handling of protests outside the Egyptian embassy in London. Last week, a prominent pro-Egyptian government activist was arrested in London after confronting protesters, fueling the tensions. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reportedly contacted British National Security Adviser Jonathan Powell to request an explanation for the incident. Abdelatty has asserted Egypt's right to respond against countries that fail to protect its embassies as per the Vienna Convention. This situation has prompted some political figures in Egypt to suggest removing barriers from Britain's embassy in Cairo. The UK government is actively engaging with Egyptian officials to ensure the embassy's security and the safety of its staff, while the Foreign Office has posted contacts for consular assistance on its travel advice page regarding Egypt.