Authorities have arrested two Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy, the information minister said Thursday. Information Minister Ali Abdou would not say what illegal activities Eritrean authorities suspected the employees were involved in or give any other details. Attempts to reach U.S. Embassy officials by phone and e-mail were not immediately successful. In October 2001, police arrested two other Eritrean employees of the U.S. Embassy for unspecified reasons and have yet to charge or release them. Eritrea is one of only four African countries that openly supported the U.S.-led war in Iraq. But relations have shown signs of strain. In July, Eritrea asked the U.S. Agency for International Development to stop its operations in the Horn of Africa country without giving any reason. A delegation from the State Department and the aid agency went to Eritrea from Washington last month to discuss the issue. The results of those discussions have not been made public.