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Subscribe to RSSU.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice recaps the causes and effects of recent violence against Americans in the Middle East.
The attack that killed four Americans at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, apparently began as a spontaneous protest against an anti-Islam film before turning violent, Susan Rice, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Sunday.
Rice, appearing in NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said she was citing preliminary information and that the FBI was investigating the Tuesday night attack that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three others.
Libyan officials are holding 30 to 40 suspecting in the deadly attack of a the US embassy in Libya. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.
A wave of protests and violence has swept across the Middle East and elsewhere in the Muslim world over an obscure, amateurish movie called "Innocence of Muslims" that depicts Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a pedophile. Anti-U.S. protests in 20 countries led the Pentagon to dispatch elite Marine antiterrorism teams to Libya and Yemen and to position two Navy warships off Libya's coast.
Meanwhile, the State Department ordered all nonessential U.S. government workers and their families out of Sudan and Tunisia. In Lebanon, protesters torched an American fast-food restaurant. Even as tensions appeared to ease over the weekend, al-Qaida's most active Mideast branch was calling for further attacks on U.S. embassies.
"There's no question, as we've seen in the past with things like 'The Satanic Verses,' with the cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad, there have been such things that have sparked outrage and anger and this has been the proximate cause of what we've seen," Rice said.
“What happened in Benghazi was in fact initially a spontaneous reaction to what had just transpired hours before in Cairo, almost a copycat of the demonstrations against our facility in Cairo, prompted by the video,” Rice said.
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Protesters in Cairo had breached the walls of the U.S. Embassy and tore down the American flag.
In Benghazi, Rice told “Meet the Press” host David Gregory, “Opportunistic extremist elements came to the consulate as this was unfolding, they came with heavy weapons, which unfortunately are readily available in post-revolutionary Libya, and it escalated into a much more violent episode.”
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There was “no actionable intelligence” that the attack in Benghazi was imminent, Rice said. The attack overwhelmed security in place at the consulate, she said.
Rice’s comments came a day after Libyan President Mohammed Magarief told NBC News that “foreigners” were involved in the planning and execution of the attack.
He expanded on the assertion Sunday, saying on CBS’ "Face the Nation" that about 50 people, not all Libyans, have been arrested in connection with the Benghazi attack, which he said was planned by al-Qaida-linked foreigners, some from Mali and Algeria.
Magarief said there was little doubt the assault was planned rather than a spontaneous reaction to the video, as came on the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the U.S.
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He said the security situation in Libya remained "difficult" for Americans, as well as for Libyans. The United States wants the FBI to investigate the consulate attack, but Magarief said it may be too soon to send in investigators.
"It may be better for them to stay away for a little while until we do what we have to do ourselves," he said.
Rice told "Meet the Press" that the U.S. is working with authorities in Libya, which has received $200 million in U.S. aid since 2011, to bring to justice those responsible for the attack.
This article includes reporting by Reuters.
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At this point, the only way obama can stay in office is by some calamity coming to the US, which he is trying to have happen so he can stay in office, declare a "state of emergency", maintain it and then they won't be able to vote him out. Obama is slicker than folk think, he's almost as good as that slithering serpent. Vote this thing out or america will cease from existence. Obama is the problem, let's fix it.
Hell, the dumb stuff you post makes me think you work for the Obama campaign. People like you do more for his election effort than he does,lol.
You mean something similar to martial law? Well, obama law?
If Obama is not reelected, he's set for life. Memoirs, books, waxing philosophically regarding whoever-is-in-office and what "he would do." He's in the 1%; just curious if the other 99% know that!
@hank, take you decieved self out of here, not interested in you're flip-script lies. You are a traitor and a bendadick arnold. Keep supporting deception and you'll get spanked hank.
Spontaneous??? Very strange it happened on 911 and they just so happened to have all of those explosives and everything all ready. Give me a break---spontaneous my ass.
The evidence seems to point to that this attack was no coincidence and this was a planed attack, on the anniversary of 9-11. Obama doesn’t want to admit this was planed because it would show that his weak Middle East strategy is failing. No more Obama …Romney and Ryan in Nov.
Increase all Marine Security Guard personnel and ensure their support and readiness to repel all attackers at all U.S. Embassies and diplomatic missions around the world!
I am not surprised Rice would protect the WH, however I take the word of Margarief and the fact of the attack being on 9/11 to be the truth of a strategically planned attack throughout several countries. Is there no limit to what people will do to defend an incompetent leader. The betterment of We the People should take precedence over Obama's election.
The Ambassador didn't even have a Marine detail with him; yet Obama's trusted confidant get SS at Martha's Vinyard during her vacay.
No actionable intel; the city is the middle of those that overthrew Quadaffy. Why wouldn't we expect to find bad guys there?
The FBI is not sending investigators; the situation is too tense.
The Libyan government has refused entry to additional Marines; now what?
And the President has chosen to campaign instead of meeting with the Israeli PM.
Are the priorities and interests of the administration clear?
Stinky - Wrong as usual - FBI - and the CIA have been dispatched to Benghazi
Sudan has refused Marines
How can one little stinky be wrong all the time?
why is no reporter pointing out its from joe biden bumper sticker ?? and obama spiking the football !!...these reporters are like blind mice in obama hands...its insulting to americans...take some blame obama !!..your big mouth and weakness are why this has happened...vote these clowns out...the both want to be actors anyway...watch any speech...obama think he is danzel washington....runs things from a script by axelsnob and the union clowns...
All the Occupy folks need to read Friedrich Hayek (see Wiki) before they post any further comments.
Rice uses a cover story, she won't acknowledge, what the Libyan President confirmed, local and foreign terrorists attacked, committed murder and they were well armed, trained. Rice didn't admit, Hillary ordered no ammo carried by those 3 private security men, Hillary didn't allow no Marines stationed there either. That embassy was a easy, soft target, unarmed, unsecure.... Egypt embassy too, the Marines had unloaded weapons, no ammo allowed......... Obama and his left liberal administration officlals won't admit their middle east policy has failed, so they still deny terrorists attacked an America terrority, just lie, claim that locals were just protesting that u-tube video, as the reason all happened all over the middle east and ones in london. Even many in intelligent agencies know it was a well planned attack, by terrrorists in Libya... Obama swore, promised Islam would love America after he was elected, since there so peaceful and loving now...
Yep, and the event having occured on 9/11 had to be a coincidence. They have me fooled. And every effort to placate those retardos is taken as a sign of weakness, not an act of kindness.
Funny thing is that the Marine leadership says there were no restrictions on ammo or weapons in Egypt.
Guess you need another news source.
And Obama never promised any such thing except in your imagination.
Barack "Jimmy Carter "Obama is trying to spin it in a different direction.
They are/were both dizzy!
His spinning it right round baby; right round...
Finally, nearing the end of his days, Carter is saved from eternal infamy by Obama.
Oh come on!!! Carter wasn't great but he STILL was a better POTUS than oblamo!!!!
Everyone wants to help the helpless ... I am just tired of helping the clueless. (Miller on the Tonight Show)
When I hear the denial of incompetence of this administration from economic advisors and their great work to date and the foriegn policy advisors who also are just stellar in their acheivements to date.One thing comes to mind: " Calling Dr.Moe ;Dr Larry;Dr. Fine" calling "Dr Moe: Dr Larry ; Dr Fine"
" Calling Dr.Moe ;Dr Larry;Dr. Fine" calling "Dr Moe: Dr Larry ; Dr Fine"
I'm sorry, but they're gone. They were relieved in the 2008 election.
Dog you've overdosed on the Kool aid the Leftist talking point is it's Bush's fault!
Abraham Lincoln
Obama is the most blatant liar I have ever seen sitting in the White House; and when you consider how big a liar both Clinton and Bush were that is really saying something.
That's true. But at least Obama did not have sex with that woman - er - Hillary.
No obama had sex with that man.
abccb- you profess to be a christian??? wow
Then she is just as stupid as Obama.. WAKE UP.. These people are trying to save face. She knows very well this was thought out.. If not then she needs to go home and get an education. By the way Obama needs to have his Havard degree taken back too. He is an idiot.. GET HIM OUT OF THE WHITE HOUSE.. You are gonna have muslims come and visit you in your homes.
Yeah, sure - spontaneous. Just a coincidence it was on the 11th anniversary of 9/11.
I'm gullible. And that idiot who did the movie may have been part of the plot, to generate their excuse for getting it started.
She's a "diplomat." She's a very facile liar and pursues her craft at the behest of her masters.
I guess when you work at the most useless organization on the face of earth, the United Nations, some of that just has to rub off.
The domestic economy on its knees, a foreign policy in shambles--yeah, we need four more years of this!
The problem is though, the Obama Zombies who have an endless ability to ignore an empirically verifiable disaster and replace it with a fantasy of whom they hoped he would be and what he could achieve. Dream on.
@Pam B-3246769....and just which administration do you think nominated her?
Will the President go to Hollywood or ESPN after the election ?
No, I'm quite sure he'll still be sitting in the big chair in the White House.
yeah, until Jan. 21, 2013....then he's back in Chicago with the rest of the thugs
By the time he's done screwing things up they won't even want him in Chicago!!!!
And I believe in the easter bunny. Give me a break. Note to Administration: Stop sending my hard earned tax money to these countries.
Don't send in "investigators" SEND IN THE BOMBERS! Islam is not our friend and it deserves NO mercy!
This is one of the reasons way the Obama foreign policy is killing this country. He has appointed ambassadors who don`t have the first idea what’s going on in the world. It seems to be clear to everyone but the
socialist Democrats that the attack on the Consulate was a planned attack carried out by a terrorist group. Somebody tell this woman to get her head out of the sand.
While the Moslem countries where being torn apart by riots and American personal where being
killed where was our great leader Obama? Will he decided that that the country would be better served if he went to Vegas and attended a political railly.What is a few Americans getting killed compared to Czar Obama getting reelected.
"....socialist Democrats...."
I assume that makes you a fascist Republican?
Well he was too busy shooting craps to care about the country!!!!!!
I would suspect Obama and Holder were running guns to the "Resistance" in support of the "Arab Spring" the same as they did for the Mexican drug cartels in Operation Fast and Furious.
Thinking, is there any particular reason you failed to also mention the G.W. Bush "gun running" episode? Oh, I'm sorry; I forgot about the same old, same old hypocrisy you're so familiar with.
The rights god Reagan sold arms to Iran, and WMD's to Saddam. But don't let the truth bother you, lets make something up like Obama stooped to the low levels of the GOP.
Yeah, maybe because we are discussing today's events. Sichman, today Obama, not Bush is President.
dezhawaii, hypocrisy is hypocrisy. It has no time limits.
Do not excuse one sinner by the sins of another.
Regretably Susan Rice is not Condi Rice. This is all about our weakness. About the propensity of the Obama administration to equate Islam (a religion) to the USA (a country). As a Christian I would love to have the same support of the US government that Islam receives. After all, the US government was founded on the principles of Christianity - not islam.
Stop the lies, thats a sin, the U.S. government was not founded on any religion. See the first amendment.
John...get a history lesson...we definately weren't founded on Islam!
visit the Pilgrims Memorial...