2012 Benghazi attack
| Location | Benghazi, Libya |
|---|---|
| Type | • Coordinated attack • armed assault • rioting • arson |
| Injured (non-fatal) | 4 |
| Interest of | Christopher Sign |
The 2012 Benghazi attack was a coordinated attack against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya, by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia.
The attack
U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith were killed in the attack.[1]
Wikipedia notes:
Ambassador Stevens' diary, which was later found at the compound, recorded his concern about the growing al-Qaeda presence in the area and his worry about being on an al-Qaeda hit list.[2]
United States Security Officer Eric Nordstrom twice requested additional security for the mission in Benghazi from the State Department. His requests were denied and according to Nordstrom, State Department Official Charlene Lamb wanted to keep the security presence in Benghazi "artificially low".[3]
On December 30, 2012, the United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs released a report, "Flashing Red: A Special Report on the Terrorist Attack at Benghazi", wherein it was determined:
In the months [between February 2011 and September 11, 2012] leading up to the attack on the Temporary Mission Facility in Benghazi, there was a large amount of evidence gathered by the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC) and from open sources that Benghazi was increasingly dangerous and unstable, and that a significant attack against American personnel there was becoming much more likely. While this intelligence was effectively shared within the Intelligence Community (IC) and with key officials at the Department of State, it did not lead to a commensurate increase in security at Benghazi nor to a decision to close the American mission there, either of which would have been more than justified by the intelligence presented. ... The RSO [Regional Security Officer] in Libya compiled a list of 234 security incidents in Libya between June 2011 and July 2012, 50 of which took place in Benghazi.[4]
Martin Armstrong reported at the time, that sources available to him said that:
[...] Stevens was actually set up by the CIA. Some say in retaliation for another CIA agent who he caused to go to prison where he died.[5]
The response
In October 2012, Fox News wrote that "former Navy SEAL Tyrone Woods" and at least two others who heard the shots fired informed their higher-ups at the annex to tell them what they were hearing and requested permission to go to the consulate and help out, but were ordered to "stand down".[6]
Investigation
In September 2015, Mark MacDougall, an IT staffer who worked for Hillary Clinton, refused to testify before U.S. lawmakers investigating Hillary Clinton and the 2012 Benghazi attack, invoking his constitutional right against self-incrimination.[7]
References
- ↑ http://www.intelligence.senate.gov/benghazi2014/benghazi.pdf
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20171229092821/https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/cnn-vs-the-state-department-a-long-story/2012/09/23/36f4d9dc-051c-11e2-8102-ebee9c66e190_blog.html
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20151021041026/http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/09/us-libya-usa-idUSBRE89815N20121009
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20150709162545/http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo33519/Flashing%20Red-HSGAC%20Special%20Report%20final.pdf
- ↑ https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/uncategorized/syria-benghazi-connection/
- ↑ http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/10/26/cia-operators-were-denied-request-for-help-during-benghazi-attack-sources-say/
- ↑ http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/09/03/us-usa-election-clinton-staffer-idUSKCN0R31EM20150903
