The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other U.S. nationals were killed during the attack. [217] In a radio interview October 29, 2012, Senator John McCain said that the surveillance tapes had been classified top secret. The U.N. Security Council authorized military intervention in Libya in the name of the "Responsibility to Protect" doctrine, and therefore has a special responsibility to address grave ongoing crimes, including crimes against humanity and mass unlawful killings. The wreckage of a car sits inside the US Embassy compound on September 12, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya,. Libyan security forces used water cannons and rubber bullets against the crowds, resulting in a number of injuries. consulate. [123][124] Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi had called for release of the Blind Sheikh in his inaugural address. The investigation is ongoing, and the U.S. government is working with Libyan authorities to bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. Sensitive documents remained missing, including documents listing the names of Libyans working with the Americans, and documents relating to oil contracts. 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. [165][166] According to a Libyan interviewed in Tripoli, the government gained the ability to push back against the militias because of a "mandate of the people". Kirkpatrick reported that Ansar al-Sharia said they were launching the assault in retaliation for the release of the anti-Islamic video, Innocence of Muslims. There are indications that extremists participated in the violent demonstrations. [143] The United Nations Security Council also noted, "Some of the attackers of the U.S. Mission in Benghazi on 11 September 2012 have been identified as associates of Muhammad Jamal, and some of the Benghazi attackers reportedly trained at MJN camps in Libya. [132], Conservative pundit Jonah Goldberg of the National Review stated that on NBC's Meet the Press, host David Gregory changed the subject when a guest raised the subject of the Benghazi attack, saying, "Let's get to Libya a little bit later", but never returned to the subject. Fox News was subsequently criticized for cutting the interview short. At least 75 people were killed in militia clashes in Benghazi on May 16 and 17, and 140 were injured. When the State Department failed to respond to the request by February 4, 2013, Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit, which resulted in seven photographs being delivered on June 6, 2013. Libyans walk on the grounds of the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012. [79][81] Stevens, Smith, and Wickland moved to the nearby bathroom, but then decided to leave the safe haven after being overcome by smoke. interests. On September 16, the U.S. [67] In her January 2013 testimony before Congress, Secretary Clinton claimed security decisions at the Benghazi compound had been made by others, stating, "The specific security requests pertaining to Benghazi were handled by the security professionals in the [State] Department. [155] A 2012 Gallup poll noted that "A majority of Libyans (54%) surveyed in March and April 2012 approve of the leadership of the U.S.among the highest approval Gallup has ever recorded in the region, outside of Israel. [166] Hours before the announcement, in Derna, the two main militias (one of them Ansar al-Sharia) active in the city both withdrew, leaving both their five military bases behind. After several days of fighting, and hundreds of people killed, anti-Gaddafi fighters seized control of Libya's second city.. Cities further east, including . [234], Robert Gates, former CIA director and Defense Secretary under Republican Presidents and then President Obama, said that some critics of the government's response have a "cartoonish" view of military capabilities. On September 11, 2012, the Islamic militant group, Ansar al-Sharia, attacked the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya. [112], On September 10, 2012, at least 18 hours before the attack in Benghazi, al-Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri released a video to coincide with the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, which called for attacks on Americans in Libya in order to avenge the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi in a drone strike in Pakistan in June 2012. The attack allegedly brought an end to the purported United States involvement, but did not stop the smuggling according to Hersh's source. [56][57] There were no injuries, but the group left behind leaflets promising more attacks against the United States. [222], In April 2013, the Pentagon announced the activation of a USMC quick response force for North Africa that would use the range and speed of the Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey to be able to respond to similar events in the future. It was either willful ignorance or abysmal intelligence to think that people come to spontaneous demonstrations with heavy weapons, mortars, and the attack goes on for hours. "[183] He went on to say: There was no intelligence that in any way could have been acted on to prevent these attacks. The State Department said that some time between 10:15 p.m. and 11:20 p.m . [247][248], On November 26, 2012, journalist Tom Ricks went on Fox News' Happening Now with Jon Scott to discuss the attack. [151] Think Progress stated that Libyans are typically more positively inclined towards the United States than their neighbors. [24] Khattala has been described by both Libyan and United States officials as the Benghazi leader of Ansar al-Sharia. The insecurity has also forced the closure of courts and prosecutors' offices in Benghazi and Derna. "[68], The Benghazi attack was conducted by separate military factions on two separate United States compounds. ", "America's Assassination Program in Libya", "US House panel debunks many Benghazi theories", "Was Syrian weapons shipment factor in ambassador's Benghazi visit? An American school teacher, seven Egyptian Copts, a couple from New Zealand and Britain, and a French engineer have all been killed in Benghazi during the last six months. By the end of 2012, Eric J. Boswell, the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security, resigned under pressure, while three others were suspended. Hearing before the Committee on Foreign Affairs, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, September 18, 2013, Reviews of the Benghazi Attacks and Unanswered Questions: Hearing before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, September 19, 2013, Report of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence Review of the Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Facilities in Benghazi, Libya, September 1112, 2012 Together with Additional Views, January 15, 2014, Hearing 1: Hearing before the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, Libya, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, held in Washington, DC, September 17, 2014, Hearing 2: Hearing before the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, Libya, House of Representatives, One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, Second Session, held in Washington, DC, December 10, 2014, Hearing 3: Hearing before the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, First Session, held in Washington, DC, January 27, 2015, Hearing 4: Hearing before the Select Committee on the Events Surrounding the 2012 Terrorist Attacks in Benghazi, House of Representatives, One Hundred Fourteenth Congress, First Session, held in Washington, DC, October 22, 2015, September 2012 southern Israel cross-border attack, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=2012_Benghazi_attack&oldid=1149756452, Attacks on diplomatic missions of the United States, Pages containing links to subscription-only content, Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages, Wikipedia articles needing clarification from August 2016, Wikipedia articles needing factual verification from September 2021, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, United States diplomatic post and CIA annex, This page was last edited on 14 April 2023, at 07:17. 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. We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act. Was it because of a protest or was it because of guys out for a walk one night and decided they'd go kill some Americans?! When did he know it? United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, American fatalities and injuries of the 2012 Benghazi attack, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Department of State Operations and Embassy Security Authorization Act, Fiscal Year 2014, Investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack, Timeline of the investigation into the 2012 Benghazi attack, United States House Select Committee on Benghazi, Attack on the United States embassy in Baghdad, Ambassadors of the United States killed in office, 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, Review of the Terrorist Attacks on U.S. Before the attack, the CIA was monitoring Ansar al-Sharia and suspected members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, as well as attempting to define the leadership and loyalty of the various militias present and their interaction with the Salafi elements of Libyan society. Libyan officials should make every effort to support the justice sector and keep the prosecutions ongoing -- and the international community should help them. In Benghazi and Derna, HRW found that roughly 35 people have been killed in seemingly targeted assassinations each month, on average, from January to May of this year. [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?" The U.S. ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, and three other U.S. nationals were killed during the attack. [218], Secretary Clinton was scheduled to testify before Congress on December 20 about the attack. Sean Smith noticed this surveillance, and messaged a friend online around noon, "Assuming we don't die tonight. The findings of the two-year investigation by the Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee, the fifth of six Republican investigations, was summarized by the Associated Press on November 21, 2014:[260]. The crowd almost certainly was a mix of individuals from across many sectors of Libyan society. "Citizen groups," mostly former soldiers and lumpenproletariat, joined in and began guerrilla actions against Libya Dawn in Benghazi. So goes one of the grim scenes recreated in Michael Bay's new film 13 Hours, which tells the story of the attack that shattered the West's hopes for post-Gaddafi Libya, and sparked another toxic . [13][14] The Libyan Government condemned the attacks and took steps to disband the militias. Four Americans died in the attack: Ambassador Stevens, Information Officer Sean Smith, [1] and two CIA operatives, [2] Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods, [3] [4] both former Navy SEALs. [228], Testimony from top U.S. commanders after the attack revealed that the military was unprepared for conflict across Africa and the Middle East. 30,000 Libyans marched through Benghazi condemning Ansar al-Sharia, which had been formed during the 2011 Libyan civil war to topple Muammar Gaddafi. He said, "I have made it clear that the United States government had nothing to do with this video, and I believe its message must be rejected by all who respect our common humanity. In Benghazi, top state security officials and outspoken journalists and activists have been targeted for death. That does not seem to explain what happened that night or by the facts or the more facts we get. Attackers set the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, on fire on September 11, 2012. To send an unambiguous signal, it should add Libyan officials and militia leaders responsible for serious human rights abuses to the U.N. sanctions list, as envisioned in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1970. But we put together a Benghazi special committee, a select committee. "What are they [the government] waiting for?" At 5:41p.m. After some discussion, the CIA's Global Response Staff (GRS) at the CIA annex, which included Tyrone S. Woods, decided to attempt a rescue. [78][76] A Diplomatic Security Service (DSS) agent viewed on the consulate's security cameras "a large number of men, armed men, flowing into the compound". And that is what we know thus far based on the evidence, concrete evidence. [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). He said the interim government had entered into negotiations with "Islamist groups" about their presence and activities in Benghazi. [79] They then spread diesel fuel in the room and set fires. Attackers set the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, on fire on September 11, 2012. [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". [139] He has been linked to an Egyptian terrorist group led by Muhammad Jamal Abu Ahmad, who is suspected of training some of the terrorists responsible for the Benghazi attack in camps in the Libyan desert. Anti-Gaddafi fighters gesture to the crowds in front of a Kingdom of Libya flag during celebrations in Benghazi on 23 October. The laws passed by the General National Congress (GNC), the first elected parliament, served to inflame a tense political environment: Instead of reforming a host of Qaddafi-era laws that violate Libyans' basic freedoms, the GNC simply pushed through a political isolation law, which fostered further divisions through its vague criteria excluding Qaddafi-era officials and government employees from public office. '"[154] She went on to say: "We've seen the heavy assault on our post in Benghazi that took the lives of those brave men.". In November, a largely peaceful demonstration turned violent in Tripoli, as demonstrators marched to a neighborhood occupied largely by militias from Misrata and called on them to quit the capital. We do notwe do not have information at present that leads us to conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned. Previous reports have found that requests for security improvements were not acted upon in Washington. Initial analysis by the CIA, repeated by top government officials, indicated that the attack spontaneously arose from a protest. I have heard dozens of judges, activists, and journalists in Benghazi express helplessness and fear of being next in line. [258] It criticized the actions and speed of response of the State Department, and the Defense Department, leading up to and during the attacks in Benghazi. The organization recorded 471 deaths . [191][243] None of the ten investigations into Benghazi found that any senior Obama administration officials had acted improperly. [162][163] Protesters burnt a car and a building of at least one facility, and looted weapons. The . September 11, 2012: 9:43 a.m. Benghazi time (3:43 ET): Amb. [72][77] They then threw grenades over the wall and entered the compound with automatic weapons fire, RPGs, and heavier weapons. [213] A May 14, 2013 Fact Checker by Glenn Kesler said that "Immediately after the attack, the president three times used the phrase "act of terror" in public statements. [126] 3,751. Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens steps outside the consulate to say goodbye to a Turkish diplomat. Over 25,738 migrants and asylum seekers arrived in Italy and Malta from January to mid-September, 11,295 of whom had departed from Libya, according to the IOM. A Libyan militant was sentenced on Thursday to more than 19 years in prison by a federal judge for his role in the 2012 Benghazi attacks that killed four Americans . [65], The desire of the State Department to maintain a low profile in Benghazi has been cited as the reason why the State Department circumvented their own Overseas Security Policy Board (OSPB) standards for diplomatic security. It will not dim the light of the values that we proudly present to the rest of the world.[182]. ", "Remarks at Reception Marking Eid ul-Fitr", "Clinton: Libya Attacks By A 'Savage Group,' Not Libyan Government Or Its People", "Opinion Briefing: Libyans Eye New Relations With the West", "Eastern Libya poll indicates political Islam will closely follow democracy", "Survey of Public Opinion in Eastern Libya", Bob Schieffer, ""Face the Nation" transcripts, September 16, 2012: Libyan Pres. [89][verification needed], However, through September 14, CIA analysts made a contradictory assessment, stating "We believe based on currently available information that the attacks in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. ET, Pentagon officials had informed Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about the attack. The protesters called for Qaddafi to step down and for the release of political prisoners. . President Obama responded, "The day after the attack, governor, I stood in the Rose Garden and I told the American people and the world that we are going to find out exactly what happened," Obama said. What are her numbers today? [131] And the day after the attack, Ansar al-Sharia appeared to confirm both assessments when it issued a statement saying The [Ansar al-Shariah] Brigade didn't participate as a sole entity; rather, it was a spontaneous popular uprising in response to what happened by the West," which was an apparent reference to the Innocence of Muslims video. [66]:7475 In the aftermath, Clinton sought to take responsibility for the security lapses at Benghazi and expressed personal regret. [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. 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? Efforts", "US Names Chris Stevens Liaison to Libyan Opposition", "Nightmare in Libya: Thousands of Surface-to-Air Missiles Unaccounted For", "Will a Middle East awash with weapons be Gaddafi's final legacy? [157][158], The Libyan response to the crisis was praised and appreciated in the United States, and President Obama emphasized how the Libyans "helped our diplomats to safety" to an American audience the following day,[15] while a New York Times editorial criticized Egypt's government for not doing "what Libyan leaders did". [5] [6] Stevens is the first U.S. ambassador killed in an attack since Adolph Dubs was killed in 1979. Our Sources. GOP legislators also took issue with delays in the investigation, which CNN attributed to "bureaucratic infighting" between the FBI, Justice, and State. "[134] Obama spoke accurately, because five American embassies were the sites of violent protests due to the video, but Benghazi was not an embassy, it was a "diplomatic post." These teams were sent to Naval Air Station Sigonella in Sicily, Italy as a staging point on the night of the attack but did not deploy to Benghazi. Ambassador Stevens' body was found by a group of Libyans who had accessed the room through a window. The GNC also failed to reverse a 2012 law that grants immunity from prosecution for acts "promoting or protecting the [2011] revolution," which in practice propagated a culture of impunity and selective justice. "[204], On September 26, Clinton acknowledged a possible link between Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Benghazi attack.[205]. Though they took him to be a foreigner, no one recognized him as Stevens. Without a functioning legal system, the house of cards that is the Libyan state will collapse. Reuters. [221], In March 2013, Representative Duncan D. Hunter introduced legislation into the 113th Congress to authorize awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to Doherty and Woods for their actions that led to their deaths. At the same time, a JSOC operator was using a hand-held device displaying images from a Predator drone above, which had been sent by the DOD's US Africa Command after request. But that has now changed: The victims now include journalists and activists who opposed former dictator Muammar al-Qaddafi during the 2011 uprising, but who dare to criticize the militias, Libya's new masters. [232][233] Romney was accused by the Obama campaign of trying to exploit the attacks for political gain, leading the father of Ambassador Stevens to call for both campaigns to avoid making it a campaign issue. [110][111] Stevens was the first United States ambassador killed in an attack since Adolph Dubs was killed in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1979. . A mortar round then hit Woods' position, fatally wounding him. It was not a spontaneous demonstration, is that what you're saying?" Attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya. Susan Candiotti and Tim Lister, "Sources: Benghazi suspect detained in Libya", Bill Gertz, "Benghazi attack suspect walks: Libyans release key player in consulate ambush", "Statement regarding the events at US Consulate in Benghazi", "What Muslim nations' leaders are saying and not about embassy violence", "15 Photos Of Libyans Apologizing To Americans", "Struggle for Ideological Upper Hand in Muslim World Seen as Factor in Attacks", "Did Ansar al-Sharia carry out Libya attack? During the hours before the attack, Egyptian satellite television networks popular in Benghazi had been covering the outrage over the video. The defenders agreed to evacuate to the airport and were attacked with small arms fire along the route. It remains unclear if any group or person exercised overall command and control of the attack, and if extremist group leaders directed their members to participate. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton called the concussion a "diplomatic illness".[220]. Libya: Crackdown on Nongovernmental Groups, Joint Statement on the Implementation of the Yazidi Survivors Law, Indian Girls Alleged Rape and Murder Sparks Protests, Ukraine: New Light on Russias Rail Station Attack, Video: Violence and Rape by Zimbabwe Gov't Forces After Protests. On May 19, militias said to be from the western city of Zintan joined Haftar's campaign and . Mr Hondros was wounded in an . A taxi driver in Tripoli told me recently he "hated Qaddafi," but wished for a Qaddafi to bring back some order. In my three years in Libya, this is one of my most depressing duties. [40]:16, J. Christopher Stevens was named the first liaison with the Libyan opposition in March 2011. At least 75 people were killed in militia clashes in Benghazi on May 16 and 17, and 140 were injured. [73] No more than seven Americans were in the compound, including Ambassador Stevens. [102] There he was administered CPR for 90 minutes by Dr. Ziad Abu Zeid. 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