Piecing Together the Benghazi Attack as More Protests Erupt
Libya arrested four men today suspected of “helping instigate” the mob violence at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that took the lives of four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens.
“There is suspicion that those people belong to some extremist group here. But, again, this is something we don’t know until the investigation is through. I expect that to happen in the next couple of days at the most,” newly elected Libyan Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagour told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour this afternoon.
“The evidence itself is based on mostly pictures taken throughout the compound at that time and also some witnesses,” he said.
The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence met behind closed doors for two hours with CIA Director Gen. David Petraeus today to be briefed on the rapidly unfolding investigation.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she’s seen “no evidence or no assessment that indicates it was” a planned attack. “There was a protest and it could well be that quickly, some two dozen people took that as an opportunity to attack. They have attacked the Benghazi consulate before. I believe it was on June 6th. So this is not a new thing,” the senator said on CNN.
“And I believe an investigation is going on in this country concerning the individual who did this very obnoxious 12-minute preview of some very stupid movie and wrong-headed movie. And he may well not be who he has claimed to be either,” Feinstein added. “So we’re going to have to find out a lot about what happened.”
The senator thanked “the currently anonymous Libyan citizen who took Ambassador Stevens to the hospital.”
“He didn’t survive, but to me, that was such a human and real act,” she said.
Feinstein’s words for the Egyptian government were less kind, noting that President Mohamed Morsi didn’t denounce the attack on the Cairo embassy.
“I have helped Egypt in the past. I want to continue. But we need to see which way this government is going to go,” she said. “And I think the statements of the government in the next few days, also, are going to indicate which way this government goes. And that’s important for us here to listen to that.”
The Intelligence Committee was monitoring 11 ongoing demonstrations against the U.S. in various countries, with more expected around Friday prayers.
One of those demonstrations was outside the U.S. embassy in Yemen, where four protesters died in clashes with police today. No embassy personnel were hurt, and President Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi apologized to President Obama for the mob violence.
Obama called Hadi this afternoon to discuss the assault and express appreciation for the Yemeni government’s cooperation, the White House said. “President Hadi committed to doing everything possible to protect American citizens in Yemen, and said he had deployed additional security forces around the U.S. Embassy,” said the readout from the White House. “President Obama reiterated his rejection of any efforts to denigrate Islam, and emphasized that there is never any justification for the violence we are seeing.”
In today’s press briefing, White House press secretary Jay Carney reiterated that the administration rejects “the denigration of religion” and also believes “that there is no justification at all for responding to this movie with violence.”
“Islam respects the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it violates that dignity to wage attacks on innocents,” Carney said in a loose paraphrase of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. “It is especially wrong for violence to be directed against diplomatic missions.”
“The US administration is now facing a crisis in Libya. Sensitive documents have gone missing from the consulate in Benghazi and the supposedly secret location of the “safe house” in the city, where the staff had retreated, came under sustained mortar attack. Other such refuges across the country are no longer deemed “safe”.
Some of the missing papers from the consulate are said to list names of Libyans who are working with Americans, putting them potentially at risk from extremist groups, while some of the other documents are said to relate to oil contracts.
According to senior diplomatic sources, the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted, but no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and “lockdown”, under which movement is severely restricted.
Mr Stevens had been on a visit to Germany, Austria and Sweden and had just returned to Libya when the Benghazi trip took place with the US embassy’s security staff deciding that the trip could be undertaken safely.”
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/revealed-inside-story-of-us-envoys-assassination-8135797.html
It is now coming to light that the State Dept. had 48 hours advanced warning – and they did nothing to alert the embassies.
SCOAMF and Hillary have blood on their hands. This explains the attacks on Romney and the false flag about the stupid YouTube movie.
No mention of Marines? I know 2 were killed but I hear they were called in after the rioting started. Libyan guards disappeared before the attack. No mention of what happened to the 15,000 Manpads, surface to air shoulder fired missiles after Qadaffi fell. They can bring down an airliner.
Also understand the female Amabassador in Cairo who put out the standard apology to Islam would allow Marines there to have ammo.
Pretty inept foreign policy.
Why would anyone ever have such sensitive stuff in hardcopy format, just waiting to be stolen and read by these primitives, when it can be just as easily kept in a cloud or encrypted on their local servers?!
– shut up.
The Democrat Senate leadership team is truly the Washington incarnation of The Gang That Couldn’t Shoot Straight!”
The Obama Cabinet is more like the bar scene from Star Wars!
Fox has a bit more on this.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/09/13/consulate-attack-planned-as-2-part-militant-assault-libyan-official-says/
None of the msm outlets are reporting that the youtube movie was a scam excuse for a planned attack that the WH was warned about.
“Islam respects the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it violates that dignity to wage attacks on innocents,” Carney said in a loose paraphrase of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.”
keep pushing that “religion of peace” a-holes
” that we’re able to do the due diligence on this 12-minute trailer,”
What are you going to do, throw the guy who made that silly video in jail you disgusting fascist?
I remember back in the 1990′s, we were assured that guy who did rap albums about killing the police, etc, were artist and had freedom of speech and were not doing anything wrong in the slightest, etc. Now these liberals want to do ‘due diligence’ to what exactly?
I say we all start filling the internet with portrayals of Mohammed — film, cartoon, and other media.
Here, I’ll go first:
https://twitter.com/#!/arhooley/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FXiMY63rs
I’m waiting for my phonecall from the chairman of the Joint Chiefs. Or at least a fatwa. Maybe I can take down a consulate in South Yemen?
ROFLMFAO! My fave so far? “YES, WE CAN!”… although all the dating ads are great, too!
Thanks for the larfs!
About a month ago the NBPP gave a radio address directing it’s members to “bomb white nurseries and skin white people .”
The government did nothing.
What a load of horse apples!
Ambassador Stevens was murdered by the Libyan mob, who were tipped off by higher-ups as to where the safe houses were. They keep on lying!
And Feinstein can take her opinions on art, literature, truth, justice, blah, blah, blah, and stick them where the sun don’t shine.
I think we are looking at this all wrong.
Islam demands human sacrifices. It is a part of their barbaric culture. This is what 9-11 was all about, not only 11 years ago, but this year as well. Islam demands human sacrifices, and this whole theater about some offending video, is just the theater that goes along with the ritualistic murder necessary. If it was not this video, it would have been some other excuse.
The Aztecs had elaborate rituals too. Granted the Islamic pagents are much more free form, but that is merely the differences in culture and geography.
I think that this meme should get out more, it might get some muslims to think about exactly where they are being led. If your imman is telling you God wants you to kill, or die, maybe they are not really talking to the right fella. Maybe they might recognize that murder is a more serious blaphemy than making a movie.
Sura 9:111 says it’s a moslem’s right and duty to BOTH kill others AND die for allah. It’s very clear about it.
I never heard of this movie, until this whole thing exploded. Having read Rushdie’s “Satanic Verses” after the Ayatolla put a contract out on the author’s head, I doubt almost anyone would have heard of this movie if it were not for these protests. Most of the works that the mullahs complain about are rarely any good.
This makes me doubt that the movie is the reason, but merely an excuse. It is obvious to any observer with even a modicum of historical knowledge what is really going on. Surely many of you out there can see this as well.
The name Islam, I have been told, means “submission” specifically submission to Allah’s will. From time to time, Allah desires blood, human blood in particular. Islam is submission, even unto death. Not necessarily the local iman that send his believers out in suicide vests, but no matter. Between teh gullible believer and the clueless American, there is plenty to appease Allah. When Allah wants blood, the West need to recognize it as part of their religion and their culture.
It will take months to find out what happened. The person, or persons, who screwed up have gone to ground, or are spinning tales. This is typical of Washington D.C. We can be certain that our intelligence is crummy, or is not being assessed correctly. This is the 9-11 problem we spend billions to correct, the stove pipe problem. Apparently the only person who did not know about our secret safe house was me. It took mortar fire; people were killed.
I learned today that the Marines rushed to Cairo are not allowed to have ammo. I and others now know this. I do not value a Marine who lacks ammo. He is simply a target with big biceps, a useless stovepipe. It seems reasonable to substitute a lawyer, or journalist for each Marine. A Marine, with ammo, is very valuable.
All of the high dungeon spewed on G Bush for 9-11′s faulty intelligence does not seem to get much press, when our soil, is again, blood soaked.
We learned that the bad guys gained access in a few minutes without much resistance. Why we have such lousy security in one of the most violent cities on earth is a puzzle to this simple mind. Are State Dept. people allowed to shoot back at killers? Or must they ask permission first?
It is obvious that what we need is another high level commission to study why all of our prior commissions were useless. It should be chosen the day after elections, because there will be many high level lawyers needing a job on that day. Hopefully, the guys who screwed up and got our people killed, will be in that group.
State should continue to search for common ground with these killers. Considering the slime that is spewed out on Hollywood sex films, I admit a certain empathy with their forceful morality. Perhaps they could immigrate and create a new form of movie critic.
Diane Feinstein illustrates the world view of the left wing, neo-communist, hate-America first POS garbage that resides in the demokratic party, the WH and the media.
She is implying that the murderers in Libya had good reason and justification to kill Americans because some idiot made a movie; a movie NOT made in Libya. You have got to be joking.
By this line of reasoning, if anyone in any position, for whatever reason, says something that a group of people or individual finds offensive, than those offended have a right to burn down the homes and murder any individual(s) that are connected in any way whatsoever (e.g., by race, nationality, ethnicity, by the car they drive, religion, etc) to those who committed the “offense.”
What BS.
Clearly, this is another left wing effort to shutter free expression and ultimately remove the rights of individuals to speak their mind.
Of course, if anyone should suggest that the dumb, stupid , left wing POS, communist b***h Feinstein keep HER trap shut, well, let me guess, she would not like it one bit.
Oh, that’s right; only OTHER people must be prohibited from speaking freely, but not those who are, for all intents and purposes, comrades in arms of the CPUSA.
By the way, if the American Nazi Party or the KKK opened national headquarters in Manhattan, do you think anyone would object?
Then how come the CPUSA has their national headquarters there and no one objects. After all, communists have exterminated more people (100,000,000) than any other ideology in the history of the world. In fact, when it comes to mass extermination the communists make the the Nazis look like kindergarten kids.
Exactly. Leftist Emocrats believe in group rights, not individual ones.
So, when your individual right to criticize a group (of criminal individuals) comes up against the group-might-made “right” to crush you for it, those liberal conformists are all for it!
Once upon a time the Democrats would have laid aside their political point of view and come up guns-blazing after someone attacking Americans. Today we see another example of how Democrats in Washington, the State Department, and the media have come to believe their party is more important than America.
I’m going to steal that post and shove it down the gullets of every loudmouth democrat who calls me a racist, a hater, or a religious nut.
I’m for giving the Libyan government a week to find those responsible, place their heads and transcripts of the investigation proving their guilt on pikes outside the Benghazi consulate, and pay reparations to the United States and the families of the dead and injured. Otherwise, we thank and reward those people who tried to help the consulate, close up shop, and take our people and our foreign aid with us when we leave.
Considering that my ancestors used to paint themselves blue and fight the Romans naked, I think my response is quite civilized.
ECS
One more thing: What was the deal about sending a whole 8(!) Marines to Benghazi to meet up with the Libyan Special Forces to rescue the consulate staff?
Consulate: “Hi, this is the Benghazi consulate, and we’re under attack by people with automatic weapons, mortars, and RPGs. You think you could send someone to help us?”
Embassy: “Yeah, sure. I guess we can spare eight Marines.”
Consulate: “%$#&*%@#$>*&%$!”
ECS
I would imagine eight Force Recon Marines fully stocked and comm wired could have gotten it done. With a little air support, a squad of those guys would have unquestioned ownership of at least a few square blocks of wherever you put them.
When the US State Department vigorously protested the “persecution” of the sluts who called themselves Pussy Riot, we, Russians, kept asking you, what would have happened if the Rabid Sluts desecrated not Russian Orthodox Cathedral, but just an ordinary small mosque.
You kept telling us that “freedom of speech is precious”.
Now American paid in blood for the 12 minutes flick, authorities demand the removal (sic!) of the offensive video, and everybody is looking for a scapegoat.
“Piss Jesus”, “Dung Madonna”, “Pussy Riot, “Innocence of Muslims”, and the list goes on and on…
When will the West understand that EVERY religion is off limits for hooligans, dirty pussies and troublemakers of every persuasion?!
Andor, you’re wrong. EVERY religion can be criticized, mocked, and made fun of. That’s the American way. If Islam is too brittle, it will eventually break itself up banging against the United States (current leadership aside).
Seems that religionists who didn’t experience the horrors of Europe’s 30 years war are in capable of learning from that sterling example. The resulting depopulation and exhaustion of princely states in MittelEuropa taught the religions that as long as different faiths aren’t killing each other over irrelevancies, like what others think of them, they could have a pretty good life. Wars of religion are never about religion, which is why it is easy to dismiss criticisms and even mockery: nobody dies for a phony reason.
It is troubling that commentators of such sophistication as WR Mead still spout the line about the movie causing this response.
“Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said she’s seen “no evidence or no assessment that indicates it was” a planned attack.”
Do any of you bozos own a calender?
Feinstein is a dhim-wit.
Do you know how many anti-islamic videos are up on YouTube right now? Must be in the thousands!
And they pretend THIS ONE alone “caused” their turbans to explode?! Please.
Still, I checked it out – amateurish, in a Saturday Night Live kinda way, it’s nevertheless perfectly halal: Everything they made ‘Muhammad’ say and do in it, was completely accurate as detailed in only the moslems’ own most official stuff!