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Title: American Ambassador, 3 Others Killed In Libya During Riots Over Mohammed Film
Source:
NYPOST
URL Source: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/intern ... _killed_uvtJF2mvUd6CzlMsrh169K
Published: Sep 12, 2012
Author: NYPOST
Post Date: 2012-09-12 11:35:07 by Brian S
Keywords: None
Views: 1527
Comments: 2
TRIPOLI, Libya — The US ambassador to Libya and three American members of his staff were killed in the attack on the US consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi by protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Mohammad, Libyan officials said Wednesday. They said Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob guns and rocket propelled grenades. AFP/Getty Images Libyan civilians help an unconscious Chris Stevens, at the US consulate compound in Benghazi . Stevens and three of his colleagues were killed in an attack on the US consulate. The three Libyan officials who confirmed the deaths were deputy interior minister for eastern Libya Wanis al-Sharaf; Benghazi security chief Abdel-Basit Haroun; and Benghazi city council and security official Ahmed Bousinia. The State Department identified one of the other Americans as Sean Smith, a foreign service information management officer. The identities of the others were being withheld pending notification of next of kin. President Obama said, "I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi." The four Americans "exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe," he said. Obama also said he had ordered "all necessary resources to support the security of our personnel in Libya, and to increase security at our diplomatic posts around the globe." AFP/Getty Images A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said the deadly attack should "shock the conscience of people of all faiths around the world." Clinton said the assault was committed by a "small and savage group" of militants, not by the people or government of Libya. She said there was no justification for the attack, and decried violent extremism. Clinton also said Stevens had a "passion for service, for diplomacy and for the Libyan people." "This assignment was only the latest in his more than two decades of dedication to advancing closer ties with the people of the Middle East and North Africa which began as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco," Clinton said. He "risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation. He spent every day since helping to finish the work that he started," she added. Obama said he had ordered "all necessary resources to support the security of our personnel in Libya, and to increase security at our diplomatic posts around the globe." AFP/Getty Images An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi Tuesday. The attack on the Benghazi consulate took place as hundreds of protesters in neighboring Egypt scaled the walls of the US Embassy in Cairo and tore down and replaced the American flag with a black Islamic banner. The attacks in Benghazi and Cairo were the first such assaults on US diplomatic facilities in either country, at a time when both Libya and Egypt are struggling to overcome the turmoil following the ouster of their longtime authoritarian leaders, Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak, in uprisings last year. The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a film ridiculing Muhammad produced by an Israeli filmmaker living in California and being promoted by an extreme anti-Muslim Egyptian Christian campaigner in the United States. Excerpts from the film dubbed into Arabic were posted on YouTube. Stevens, 52, was a career diplomat who spoke Arabic and French and had already served two tours in Libya, including running the office in Benghazi during the revolt against Gadhafi. He was confirmed as ambassador to Libya by the Senate earlier this year. His State Department biography, posted on the website of the US Embassy to Libya, says he "considers himself fortunate to participate in this incredible period of change and hope for Libya." REUTERS The US Consulate in Benghazi in flames during protests over a film being produced in the United States that ridicules the Prophet Mohammed. The US ambassador was killed along with 3 other Americans. Stevens joined the Foreign Service in 1991 and spent his early State Department career at posts in Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Syria and Israel. After working for the Senate Foreign Relations Committee staff for Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., Stevens was posted to Libya as deputy chief of mission. In that post, Stevens wrote several confidential cables back to Washington, describing Gadhafi's bizarre behavior. During the 2011 revolt against Gadhafi, he was one of the last American diplomats to stay in Tripoli and after the embassy was closed, he was appointed to head the US liaison office to the Transitional National Council. Before Tuesday, five US ambassadors had been killed in the line of duty, the last being Adolph Dubs in Afghanistan in 1979, according to the State Department historian's office. Meanwhile, The US Embassy in Algiers warned Americans in the country to avoid non-essential travel amid calls for protests after the deadly attack in Libya. The embassy said in an emergency message to US citizens that unspecified groups are using online social networks to organize demonstrations in front of the embassy Wednesday "to protest a range of issues." It warns Americans to avoid large gatherings and non-essential travel in and around the embassy and other official buildings. Meanwhile, Israeli filmmaker Sam Bacile went into hiding after his film sparked the deadly riots. Speaking by phone Tuesday from an undisclosed location, Bacile remained defiant, saying Islam is a cancer and that the 56-year-old intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion. "This is a political movie," said Bacile. "The US lost a lot of money and a lot of people in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we're fighting with ideas." Bacile, a California real estate developer who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew, said he believes the movie will help his native land by exposing Islam's flaws to the world. "Islam is a cancer, period," he said repeatedly, his solemn voice thickly accented. The two-hour movie, "Innocence of Muslims," cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors, said Bacile, who wrote and directed it. The Post's Lou Lumenick called the movie "the most thoroughly inept piece of 'filmmaking' I've had the misfortune to watch in 30 years of reviewing films."
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#1. To: Brian S (#0)
Interesting. This incident is appalling and will require a reaction.
My prayers go out to the family of those murdered. May the Lord have mercy upon their souls and give their families the strength to endure.
The two-hour movie, "Innocence of Muslims," cost $5 million to make and was financed with the help of more than 100 Jewish donors, said Bacile, who wrote and directed it.
#2. To: Brian S (#0)
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