[1] While en route back to the annex, the group's armored vehicle was hit by AK-47 rifle fire and hand grenades. We know that is patently false. to which McCain replied that "it interferes with the depiction that the administration is trying to convey that al Qaeda is on the wane how else could you trot out our U.N. ambassador to say this was a spontaneous demonstration? The latest incident took place on 28 November 2017, when Zawiyat Sheikha Radiya Mosque - a historic Sufi site in the capital Tripoli - was torched by unknown attackers. [81] The attackers entered the main building and attempted to enter the safe haven. [162][163] Protesters burnt a car and a building of at least one facility, and looted weapons. A Libyan man was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison on Thursday for his role in the 2012 terrorist attack on two U.S. government facilities in Benghazi that killed four Americans. However, the day after the Benghazi attack, Ansar al-Sharia issued a statement saying that the attack was in part "a spontaneous popular uprising in response to what happened by the West," which was an apparent reference to the Innocence of Muslims video. [217] In a radio interview October 29, 2012, Senator John McCain said that the surveillance tapes had been classified top secret. [176], Secretary of State Clinton also made a statement on September 12, describing the perpetrators as "heavily armed militants" and "a small and savage groupnot the people or government of Libya". "[127] This assessment reflected information in an email sent by the State Department Operations Center to the White House, Pentagon, intelligence community and FBI at 6:07pm Eastern time the night of the attack, the subject line of which read, "Update 2: Ansar al-Sharia Claims Responsibility for Benghazi Attack. [207], On CNN's State of the Union with Candy Crowley on September 30, Crowley observed that "Friday we got the administration's sort of definitive statement that this now looks as though it was a pre-planned attack by a terrorist group, some of whom were at least sympathetic to al Qaeda," and asked the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, Senator John McCain, "why do you think and are you bothered that it has taken them this long from September 11th to now to get to this conclusion?" [69] The first assault occurred at the main diplomatic compound, approximately 300 yards (270m) long and 100 yards (91m) wide, at about 9:40p.m. local time (3:40p.m. Eastern Time). So the president went on various shows, despite what he said in the Rose Garden, about terrorist acts, he went on several programs, including The View, including Letterman, including before the UN where he continued to refer, days later, many days later, to this as a spontaneous demonstration because of a hateful video. On May 19, militias said to be from the western city of Zintan joined Haftar's campaign and attacked the parliament building in Tripoli, resulting in at least four dead and 90 injured. [8], The Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman, a pro-al-Qaeda militia calling for the release of The Blind Sheikh, was implicated in the attack by Noman Benotman of the Quilliam Foundation. The drone arrived at 11:10p.m. local time (5:10p.m. The consulate in Benghazi, Libya's second largest city, is a one-story villa in a large garden . [228], Testimony from top U.S. commanders after the attack revealed that the military was unprepared for conflict across Africa and the Middle East. [7] [211], In the Presidential debate of October 16, 2012, between President Obama and Mitt Romney, Romney claimed that "it took the president 14 days before he called the attack in Benghazi an act of terror." The facts: According to Democratic House Oversight Committee staff, the amount that the GOP-led House passed for two accounts that pay for embassy security in fiscal 2012 ($2.311 billion) was $330 . The assassinations have been driven by revenge killings, score-settling, tribal feuds, religious disagreements and ordinary criminal acts. Her numbers are dropping."[253][254]. A mortar fire attack on a CIA annex 1.2 miles (1.9km) away (coordinates .mw-parser-output .geo-default,.mw-parser-output .geo-dms,.mw-parser-output .geo-dec{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .geo-nondefault,.mw-parser-output .geo-multi-punct{display:none}.mw-parser-output .longitude,.mw-parser-output .latitude{white-space:nowrap}320326N 200516E / 32.0572N 20.0877E / 32.0572; 20.0877 (CIA annex)) began at about 4:00a.m. the following morning[70] and lasted for 11 minutes.[71]. [167], Handling the militias had been difficult as the government had been forced to rely on some of them for protection and security. At 5:41p.m. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens steps outside the consulate to say goodbye to a Turkish diplomat. [263] One email, dated September 14, 2012, with a subject line "RE PREP CALL with Susan: Saturday at 4:00 pm ET", was from deputy national security advisor for strategic communications Rhodes stated:[264] "Goals: To underscore that these protests are rooted in an Internet video, and not a broader failure of policy"[265] According to another e-mail obtained by Judicial Watch, when asked about whether the attack was linked to the Mohammad video, State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said she "could not confirm a connect as we simply don't knowand we won't know until there is an investigation". "[40]:34, According to a local security official, he and a battalion commander had met with United States Diplomats three days before the attack and warned the Americans about deteriorating security in the area. We firmly believe that this was a precalculated, preplanned attack that was carried out specifically to attack the U.S. [113] It is uncertain how much prior knowledge of the attack al-Zawahiri had, though he praised the attackers on October 12, 2012, in another video. One very long nigh Their words were subtitled in Urdu. Fox News was subsequently criticized for cutting the interview short. "[49], In April 2012, two former security guards for the consulate threw an IED over the consulate fence; the incident did not cause any casualties. [6][7] The government formed a "National Mobile Force" for the purpose of evicting illegal militias. ", "CIA 'running arms smuggling team in Benghazi when consulate was attacked'", "U.S. Consulate in Benghazi Bombed Twice in Run-up to 9/11 Anniversary", "U.S. embassy Tripoli Libya Security Incidents Since June 2011 hosted by ABC News", United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform, "Pro-al Qaeda group seen behind deadly Benghazi attack", "U.S. mission in Benghazi attacked to avenge al Qaeda", Benghazi attack: US officials look for answers over deadly consulate assault, "British ambassador escapes missile attack on car", "British Guns Accounted For After Benghazi Consulate Attack", "More details emerge on U.S. ambassador's last moments", "CNN vs. the State Department: A long story", "U.S. officer got no reply to requests for more security in Benghazi", "Flashing Red: A Special Report On The Terrorist Attack At Benghazi", "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton takes "responsibility" for Benghazi attack", Ambassador Died in Smoke While Agents Searched for Him, "Benghazi timeline: How the attack unfolded", "No protest before Benghazi attack, wounded Libyan guard says", "Four Media Reports From Libya That Linked The Benghazi Attacks To The Anti-Islam Video", "President Obama's Address at 67th U.N. General Assembly", "The Attack on the American Mission in Benghazi, Libya", "Islamists targeted U.S. diplomats with gunfire, RPGs in planned assault, witness says", "Libyan witnesses recount organized Benghazi attack", "Timeline of comments on attack on US Consulate", "Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Charlene Lamb: Testimony Before House Oversight Committee Washington, DC Wednesday, October 10, 2012", "Timeline: How Benghazi attack, probe unfolded", "Top CIA officer in Benghazi delayed response to terrorist attack, U.S. security team members claim", "New Book Says CIA Official in Benghazi Held Up Rescue", "New Book Claims Top CIA Officer In Benghazi Told Commandos To 'Stand Down' During Attack", "Benghazi Bombshell: Security Team Told to 'Stand Down' By CIA Officer", "Benghazi hero David Ubben still recovering at Walter Reed", "The Army Is Training Specialized Companies Of Green Berets To Crack "Hard Targets", "Africa's fast-reaction force ready to go from Colorado", "U.S. military poised for rescue in Benghazi", "The Benghazi Transcripts: Top Defense officials briefed Obama on 'attack,' not video or protest", "Pentagon labeled Benghazi a terrorist attack as Obama administration wavered: newly declassified testimony", "The Benghazi Memo Drafts, as They Evolved", "Who was Glen Doherty? February 20, Rebels take Benghazi. Reuters. In addition, the National Transitional Council estimated 50,000 wounded. . [15][16][17], Despite persistent accusations against President Obama, Hillary Clinton, and Susan Rice, ten investigationssix by Republican-controlled Congressional Committeesdid not find that they or any other high-ranking Obama administration officials had acted improperly. "[149], There were demonstrations in Benghazi[150] and Tripoli[151] on September 12, condemning the violence and holding signs such as "Chris Stevens was a friend to all Libyans", "Benghazi is against terrorism", and other signs apologizing to Americans for the actions in their name and in the name of Muslims. ET, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton telephoned CIA Director David Petraeus to coordinate. Tweet. [141], On October 7, 2013, the Muhammad Jamal network (MJN) and Muhammad Jamal were designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists by the U.S. Department of State, which noted in its designation that "Jamal has developed connections with al-Qa'ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), AQ senior leadership, and al-Qa'ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leadership including Nasir 'Abd-al-Karim 'Abdullah al-Wahishi and Qasim Yahya Mahdi al-Rimi". [241], Multiple conservative media outlets, most notably Fox News, promulgated an elaborate narrative of a scandal and cover-up by officials of the Obama administration, including, among other things, accusations that officials issued a "stand-down order" to preclude a military rescue operation; that officials knowingly lied by repeatedly asserting the attack was spontaneously triggered by the Innocence of Muslims video rather than a pre-planned terrorist attack; that a secret CIA gun-running operation to Syrian rebels was being conducted out of Libya; that President Obama and Hillary Clinton were absent and negligent on the night of the attack; that Hillary Clinton had personally declined multiple requests for more security at the compound; that a live video feed of the attack was viewed at the White House or State Department; that Ambassador Stevens had been captured by terrorists and dragged through the streets; and that witnesses had been prevented from testifying. Fox News, Hannity, Aug. 5, 2015 State Department, FOIA document search, accessed Aug. 10, 2015 State Department, Accountability Board Review of Benghazi attack, accessed Aug. 11, 2015 . [137] Ali Harzi was released by Tunisian authorities on January 8, 2013, because of a lack of evidence. By 10:05p.m., the team was briefed and loaded into their armored Toyota Land Cruisers. [17] Carrying signs with slogans such as "We Want Justice For Chris" and "Libya Lost a Friend", the protestors stormed several militia headquarters, including that of Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist militia who some allege played a role in the attack on U.S. diplomatic personnel on September 11. "[210], To assist the Libyan government in disbanding extremist groups, the Obama administration allocated $8 million to begin building an elite Libyan commando force over the next year. [237], On December 10, 2014, upon publication of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence report on Benghazi,[238] Committee Chairman Mike Rogers wrote in an op-ed piece, "The Obama administration's White House and State Department actions before, during, and after the Benghazi terrorist attack on September 11, 2012, ranged from incompetence to deplorable political manipulation in the midst of an election season. "[191], For actions in Benghazi during the attack, a Marine was awarded the Navy Cross, and a Soldier was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross; their names have been held in secret. Chris Stevens steps outside the consulate to say goodbye to a Turkish diplomat how many libyans died in benghazi facility, looted. The following morning [ 70 ] and lasted for 11 minutes. [ 71 ] least facility! Say goodbye to a Turkish diplomat killings, score-settling, tribal feuds religious. 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