Libyan officials announce four arrests in Benghazi consulate attack
posted at 8:41 am on September 14, 2012 by Ed Morrissey
Libyan officials this morning announced the arrest of four people in the attack on the American consulate that ended with the murder of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans. Who are the suspects? So far the Libyans aren’t sharing much about their identities, but they’re not looking for random rioters. NBC News reports that the Libyans are convinced that the riot was a deliberate cover to get to the American personnel:
Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
So far, the US isn’t going that far, holding off on any accusations of a planned terrorist attack. If true, it would prompt further questions about American intel and preparedness on such an obvious target date as the anniversary of 9/11. Questions have already arisen over the lack of effective security and the apparent exposure of a prepared safe house. If this was a planned operation by al-Qaeda, which has filled the vacuum left in the eastern part of the country by the Western-led toppling of the Qaddafi regime, it will be a huge public-relations boon for the terrorist network, which has been on its heels for the last several years. It’s interesting to note, though, that no one has yet credibly claimed credit for Stevens’ assassination.
The Libyan government has acted with much more energy in response to the riot than the Egyptian government in Cairo has with the ongoing protests there. That’s certainly a demonstration of the relative strength of alliances in the region.
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Great. Now mail us their [CENSORED].
Red Cloud on September 14, 2012 at 8:43 AM
I hope they read them Miranda.
The Rogue Tomato on September 14, 2012 at 8:44 AM
Don’t trust anybody over there. For all we know it’s an excuse to get rid of a few enemies who had nothing to do with it, and the people doing the arresting were behind the attack.
forest on September 14, 2012 at 8:45 AM
Lovely. Now…what is OUR President doing about it?
Issuing strongly worded memos? Or chillin’ with Jay_Z and Beyonce.
I’m still hot.
kingsjester on September 14, 2012 at 8:46 AM
There are uncomfirmed reports that the Ambassador was sodomized by his attackers before he was murdered.
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 8:46 AM
But if we punish them… and that pisses off more Muslims… and they attack and kill again… won’t that mean it’ll be our fault?
/Leftist Logic
mankai on September 14, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Why does the movie Casablanca keep popping into my head?
“Round up the usual suspects.”
Mitoch55 on September 14, 2012 at 8:47 AM
…well…everything is good then!…except for that film!
KOOLAID2 on September 14, 2012 at 8:47 AM
Are they going to hand them over to Holder so we can have a trial in NYC?
After all, Teh one won’t send them to Gitmo or let the CIA interrogate them.
Maybe he’ll let the Libyans “interrogate” them and look the other way. Oh, wait. He can’t do that either without breaking more campaign promises.
farsighted on September 14, 2012 at 8:48 AM
Four Christians.
nimrod on September 14, 2012 at 8:48 AM
B-b-but…
I’m starting to believe there’s no intelligence in the White House.
Fallon on September 14, 2012 at 8:48 AM
Captain Renault award time. They are Shocked! Shocked!
hoosiermama on September 14, 2012 at 8:50 AM
I see what you did there.
Red Cloud on September 14, 2012 at 8:50 AM
All I can think is that 4 Americans, including our Ambassador, might still be alive if Obama and Clinton had been doing their jobs and paying attention to the intel about threats.
AubieJon on September 14, 2012 at 8:50 AM
But… weren’t they taking him to the hospital?
/
parteagirl on September 14, 2012 at 8:50 AM
Reuters is on it now. Going to be hard to stuff this genie back in the bottle.
hoosiermama on September 14, 2012 at 8:51 AM
This can’t be ’79. If it was ’79. I’d be in college and driving a ’67 Plymouth Fury III…but, dadgum…it sure does feel like it…intensified.
kingsjester on September 14, 2012 at 8:51 AM
Oh no, they’ll make a big deal of sending them to Gitmo, but then in a few months we’ll see a tiny blurb on the back page that Holder has quietly set them free.
BettyRuth on September 14, 2012 at 8:51 AM
Damned Dutch Reformed I bet. Or Quakers more likely.
Well, that’s what we get for insulting Nixon all the time.
mankai on September 14, 2012 at 8:52 AM
…for some reason they will probably stay unconfirmed…
(just recall the reports of what happened to Muammar Gaddafi… until the little phone vedieo came out!)
KOOLAID2 on September 14, 2012 at 8:52 AM
More lies from the government that murdered our embassy staff. Act of war.
Philly on September 14, 2012 at 8:52 AM
shocked, shocked I say!
ted c on September 14, 2012 at 8:53 AM
Yeah I guess we Americans can’t handle the truth
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 8:54 AM
Obama and Clinton were warned of imminent threats and did nothing. This cannot be forgotten!
AubieJon on September 14, 2012 at 8:54 AM
It cannot have been a planned attack by al-Qaeda. The president told us he’d defeated them:
Trafalgar on September 14, 2012 at 8:55 AM
More like 4 scapegoats…..
LL
Lady Logician on September 14, 2012 at 8:55 AM
So what………..they are at least 396 short. Start
arresting Obama and Clinton.
lilium479 on September 14, 2012 at 8:56 AM
We are within weeks of the election. No way the rat-eared bastard is going to admit that he was more concerned with partying than any kind of a threat in the Middle East.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 8:56 AM
Oh wow – so obama and Hillary have been arrested? Who else did they get, Hillary’s girlfriend, Huma Mahmood Abedin, and Valerie Jarrett? This is getting interesting.
Pork-Chop on September 14, 2012 at 8:56 AM
Four are arrested. Wasn’t the report of 400 perpetrators. Scapegoats.
elm on September 14, 2012 at 8:56 AM
There were 400 attackers, when do the other 396 get arrested?
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Nevermind all this talk about dead embassy staff and planned attacks…the big question is, when will Mitt Romney apologize?
changer1701 on September 14, 2012 at 8:57 AM
The Libyans might just as well arrest Obama and Hillary as responsible for the killings.
By the way, Rudy Giuliani nailed the Preezy this morning, but failed to mention the disgusting vacation in Vegas.
MTF on September 14, 2012 at 8:58 AM
***************** ALERT ***********************
Police using water cannon to disperse protestors in Cairo, Egypt, near US Embassy – @SMallenGlobal
4 mins ago by editor
Protesters set KFC restaurant on fire in Lebanon over pope’s visit, anti-Islam film, witnesses say – @Reuters
41 mins ago from http://www.jpost.com by editor
http://www.jpost.com/Headlines/Article.aspx?id=285118
Protesters pull down emblem at German embassy in Sudan, raise Islamic flag, Reuters witness says – @Reuters
35 mins ago by editor
Protesters break into German embassy building in Sudan, Reuters witness says – @Reuters
42 mins ago by editor
canopfor on September 14, 2012 at 8:58 AM
It won’t even be acknowledged. All you get is Jay Carney saying that the administration had no actionable intelligence. The wildcard- Stevens was popular which might result in leaks among those in the State Department ticked off with the clear lies from Obama and the pig-in-a-pantsuit.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 8:58 AM
And then what, some bullshiite trial, imprisonment in a Libyan prison, and after a year they are released because they signed a “I promise not to be mean to anyone ever again” form.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 8:58 AM
What is it with jihadis and KFC? Every time those jackholes raise hell they always seem to head for the nearest KFC and burn the place to the ground. They did it in Pakistan, in India, in Bangladesh, everywhere.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:01 AM
Oh for crying out loud, what should Egypt be doing Ed, looking for the Libyan killers? If people were killed in Egypt the Egyptian Government would be putting on the same investigative dog an pony show that Libya is. This isn’t a demonstration of anything.
I think Ed should quit listening to John McCain.
lowandslow on September 14, 2012 at 9:02 AM
No the Libyans have perfected the “I’ve got prostate cancer and I’m going to die tomorrow” pardon system.
Trafalgar on September 14, 2012 at 9:03 AM
Let’s see, we lost a country of 80 million people that borders Israel and has the strategic point of the Suez Canal, but gained a country of 6 million who live on sand.
Great trade, Dear Liar.
rbj on September 14, 2012 at 9:05 AM
liberals are pining for Chick Fil A to open some stores in Jihadi-towns across the middle east.
ted c on September 14, 2012 at 9:05 AM
What’s for lunch in Cafe Libya today? Roast leg of sacrificial lamb with CYA sauce.
petefrt on September 14, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Good point, I forgot about that. One cupie doll for you, sir.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:07 AM
Anti-Islam film protests
Report: 1 person killed, 2 wounded as protesters clash with security forces in Tripoli, Lebanon, security source says – @Reuters
5 mins ago by editor
http://www.breakingnews.com/topic/anti-islam-film-protests
canopfor on September 14, 2012 at 9:08 AM
Exactly…
and now the German Embassy in Sudan is on fire…
PatriotRider on September 14, 2012 at 9:08 AM
Now, hold on !!
We all know that obesity is more threatening to our security than a few rabble-rousers.
Get with the program, here !!
pambi on September 14, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Maybe, they don’t offer extra-crispy chicken there?
Fallon on September 14, 2012 at 9:10 AM
Then there’s this:
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:11 AM
Here’s the link with photos. Our guys died hard and made one last attempt at life. Good God.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/09/bloodstained-walls-at-consulate-reveal-americans-were-dragged-from-building-before-their-death/
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:12 AM
They arrested the 1%.
docflash on September 14, 2012 at 9:14 AM
DanMan’s prediction of the day. The muzzies will stand down for Obama’s sake until after the election. US press will praise Obama’s international cred for calming unrest.
I have a hunch they remember what jacking with Carter leading up to an election got them.
DanMan on September 14, 2012 at 9:14 AM
The video story was a cover-up by Hillary Clinton and Obama.
The video story was a cover-up by Hillary Clinton and Obama.
Protests at embassies in eleven countries were coordinated for 9/11!
Obama and Hillary Clinton are LYING to protect the re-election effort!
There were less than 55,000 hits on the website of that little video, so Clinton and Obama have created a red herring to divert the attention of Americans from the facts.
There is a hearing this morning, Friday, to help get to the bottom of what Obama and the State Dept KNEW AND WHEN DID THEY KNOW IT!!!!!!
Mark7788 on September 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Listen! Our POTUS said we could absorb another terrorist attack!
Look how he acted! Just did his job and took off for Vegas!
It was like watching Churchill walk through the ruble and doff his lid and bring coffee to the rescue crews during the Blitz.
I have news for those Islamist idiots:
Stop killing military and damaging our embassies!
You don’t start a war with the US by invading overseas turf and killing.
Want to get on this administration’s nerves?
Break into pharmacies and steal birth control pills and IUDs; you can ask one of your docs what the boxes look like. This will start a “war on women”.
Fly to Cambridge and hassle one of the minority faculty members at Harvard. You can send squeamish operators since you don’t even have to harm them and the effect will be better than torturing and degrading a helpless white guy for eight hours before killing him.
He will go well out of his way to attack by the next media event you so batten the hatches!
IlikedAUH2O on September 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM
Questions? Now why would anyone question that it didn’t go down exactly as the administration said it did?
“PAPER: U.S. WARNED OF EMBASSY ATTACK BUT DID NOTHING”
Flora Duh on September 14, 2012 at 9:17 AM
Here’s the link with photos. Our guys died hard and made one last attempt at life. Good God.
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/09/bloodstained-walls-at-consulate-reveal-americans-were-dragged-from-building-before-their-death/
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:12 AM
~~~~~~~
Our local news is reporting that two killed were former Navy SEALs…I’m really struggling with composure, here…the things i want to say might get me banned. Good God, where are the Breaking News Reports about this?
ellifint on September 14, 2012 at 9:18 AM
How much abuse and disgrace will y’all brave Internet warriors before officially withdrawing the consent of the governed? It is clear as day that there will be no fair election, and the judges will throw every state within margin of error to Democrats under the threat of prostate exam, courtesy of “free press”
Archivarix on September 14, 2012 at 9:21 AM
I hear ya. I took one look at those bloody handprints and realized that I don’t know who I hate more right now, the savages who killed our people or the leftist trash apologizing and covering for them.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:21 AM
Look at this man’s schedule. Starts late and ends early. Day after day, it’s virtually empty, except for fund-raising and social/recreational events. This guy is no president. He just plays at being one.
petefrt on September 14, 2012 at 9:21 AM
I heard a report on the radio the other day on the way to work that KFC slaughters their chickens in accordance with Sharia Law. And I don’t mean outside the US. I mean within our borders!
Doughboy on September 14, 2012 at 9:23 AM
Paging Valerie Jarrett! I’m not jumping to any conclusions until I hear from Obama’s mouth—Valerie.
Rovin on September 14, 2012 at 9:23 AM
I expect the DNC will soon release a campaign video that trumpets Obama arresting the killers…
workingclass artist on September 14, 2012 at 9:23 AM
OT- What’s the difference between a totalitarian regime and Liyba?
It’s still legal to buy a 20 oz soda in Tripoli.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 9:24 AM
O_o
Yet another reason not to eat their processed garbage.
I kill my chickens the old fashioned way, chop off the head and watch ‘em run.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:27 AM
…probably some prison inmates that were going to be executed anyway…you want 400?…hey!…no problem!
KOOLAID2 on September 14, 2012 at 9:30 AM
ellifint on September 14, 2012 at 9:18 AM
I hear ya. I took one look at those bloody handprints and realized that I don’t know who I hate more right now, the savages who killed our people or the leftist trash apologizing and covering for them.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:21 AM
~~~~~~~~~~~
Yep…couldn’t agree more. It’s all just madness…
ellifint on September 14, 2012 at 9:31 AM
On Newt’s piece that these weren’t “senseless killings”:
Shouldn’t we put the blame where it belongs, at the feet of Islam, and the Koran that says the penalty for slandering the Prophet is death? They’re going to arrest the usual suspects, and that’s the end of it? We need to stand up for American values of freedom and free speech. “Senseless violence”? You’ve got to be kidding me.
Paul-Cincy on September 14, 2012 at 9:33 AM
+1 :)
petefrt on September 14, 2012 at 9:34 AM
…my ma used to spin them by the head/neck and the body would end up near me…and I would swear they were chasing me!
KOOLAID2 on September 14, 2012 at 9:34 AM
LOL. the first time we slaughter one of our chickens my wife thought it would be better if she held it down after I chopped its head off. Til she got a face full of squirting blood. Lesson learned let em run.
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 9:35 AM
The one’s arrested were thrown under the bus. Expendable. If they hadn’t been offered up as a sacrifice for the others, they would have been convinced to blow themselves up in a suicide attack.
Funny how the leaders don’t feel the need to be the martyrs but prey on young innocents or the easily duped. If paradise was so good for them, why aren’t the leaders jumping to the front of the line.
iamsaved on September 14, 2012 at 9:35 AM
Dog and pony show, highly likely. The outer trappings of justice, which would mean something in the U.S., but in Libya, it’s a facade. Do they even HAVE a working justice system based on the rule of law?
Paul-Cincy on September 14, 2012 at 9:37 AM
What you won’t read in the American media:
And we have to read about this from a British News Service to get any real account of what happened. This uprising has nothing to do with a stupid video, yet this is what the U.S. mainstream media is sticking to, and hoping the American public will swallow it.
Rovin on September 14, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Once again, you can only find in-depth coverage of the events from reporters over the pond, (and conservative blogs)…writers here are still reporting that it was all about the anti-Islamic film. Nothing about 400 attackers at the compound and a night of sheer terror. A shameful whitewash.
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 9:38 AM
Grim
Obama & Hillary Clinton own this tragedy because of their incompetence…They did not protect our embassy & diplomatic personnel.
workingclass artist on September 14, 2012 at 9:39 AM
Psych! We wrote basically the same thing at the same moment :)
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 9:39 AM
From the Independant
Any chance the four arrested are related to this.
antipc on September 14, 2012 at 9:40 AM
I have read nothing in the MSM about the manner in which the Americans died. Are you trying to tell me they have no information on this?
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 9:41 AM
Jornalism is truly dead.
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 9:43 AM
I swear, sometimes I think we should all go down to the nearest embassy/consulate of Islamic nations and deliberately mock Mohommad. Give them a taste of what free speech means.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 9:44 AM
Even the DAILY MAIL has more in depth coverage about what happened. Hillary called it “senseless”, but I agree with Newt, this was an act of war.
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 9:44 AM
I used to spin them too but I figured the head has to come off and the blood drained anyway, why not get it over with? Besides, there is nothing funnier than introducing the youngsters to the process and seeing the chickens eerily run right towards the kids.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 9:45 AM
They do but they also have the lies put out by the rat-eared bastard and pig-in-a-pantsuit and the stories don’t agree.
The official position is that our diplomatic personnel were bravely defended by a bunch of friendly Libyans. At the end they rushed Ambassador Stevens to the hospital where he sadly did not make it.
The reality is more along the lines that it was an inside job. The diplomatic personnel were betrayed by their security people. The Ambassador was brutally sodomized before being killed. His corpse was paraded through the streets in celebration.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 9:47 AM
And the question, “Is Al Qaeda better off now than they were four years ago?” is in the queue.
Dusty on September 14, 2012 at 9:47 AM
They’re not going to publish anything that reveals what everyone should already know…Mr. President is a feckless lump who has no clue about foreign policy, not to mention he and Hillary’s failure to take preventative actions (bring our people home) when they were warned a storm was brewing. He was too busy campaigning and snubbing our allies.
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 9:48 AM
Under Obama, Al Qaeda thrives and Ambassadors die.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 9:49 AM
I don’t know why you say that when we hear clips of them coordinating how to jump Mitt Romney with the “tone and timing” question while ignoring the incompetence of the rat-eared bastard and pig-in-a-pantsuit to include the pre-emptive apology that State supported before they didn’t.
Happy Nomad on September 14, 2012 at 9:51 AM
Not even FOX has details. This is the end
steel guy on September 14, 2012 at 9:53 AM
“Justice will be served. Now, back to the real issue in this campaign: taxpayer-funded birth control for students paying $30,000 a year in tuition at private colleges.”
–MSM
MidniteRambler on September 14, 2012 at 9:54 AM
Meanwhile, they’ve finally posted the WH schedule for today :
Friday, September 14 2012 All Times ET
9:25 AM
The President and the Vice President receive the Presidential Daily
Oval Office
Closed Press
10:05 AM
The President and the First Lady welcome the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams to the White House
South Lawn
Open Press
12:30 PM
The President and the Vice President meet for lunch
Private Dining Room
Closed Press
7:00 PM
The President attends a campaign event
DC, Private Residence, Washington
Closed Press
pambi on September 14, 2012 at 9:57 AM
It’s really an embarrassing indictment of our pathetic American media, who can print just about anything….but the truth.
Rovin on September 14, 2012 at 9:58 AM
BTW, where’s Anne Patterson, the only surviving ambassador of the 9/11 embassy attacks and likely a close coordinator with Stevens, should have some insight into the what’s going on in this small part of the world and between these two countries?
You’d think she have been trotted out by State if she had anything to say that was useful to
the Obama Administrationaddressing the concerns Americans now have, wouldn’t you?Maybe, at the very least, for pep talk like a, ‘It’s time to re-elect Obama!’ Hatch Act straddle or two? She can always couch it in terms of “We had no warning.” and “This was a total surprise to us.”
Dusty on September 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM
A campaign event? Well that’s odd.
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Busy crafting a response to the question, “Why did you order that your Marine guards not carry ammunition while on duty?”
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Maybe he can talk to them about bowling.
Trafalgar on September 14, 2012 at 10:03 AM
Bishop on September 14, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Yeah, but, hey !
They’ve allowed 40 whole mins for the Daily Briefing !!
He must read emails very slowly.
pambi on September 14, 2012 at 10:03 AM
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/13/Obama-Hillary-ignored-warnings-Libyan-embassy
workingclass artist on September 14, 2012 at 10:08 AM
That and working closely with Hillary on all the media submissions to State with the questions that are okay to ask when they finally get the green light to ask for interviews with her.
Dusty on September 14, 2012 at 10:09 AM
I would expect nothing more than from this snake oil salesman than to step out for an opportunity to soak his gladhanders for more money, no matter what the state of the union.
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 10:11 AM
“Yesterday, we reported that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was responsible under the law for the “security policies and programs that provide for the protection of all US government personnel … on official duty abroad.” Clinton herself seemed bewildered by the attacks on the Libyan consulate, asking, “How could this happen in a country we helped liberate, in a city we helped save from destruction?”
But according to the Independent, she had no reason to be puzzled. Quoting senior diplomatic sources, the paper reports, “the US State Department had credible information 48 hours before mobs charged the consulate in Benghazi, and the embassy in Cairo, that American missions may be targeted.” Nonetheless, “no warnings were given for diplomats to go on high alert and ‘lockdown,’ under which movement is severely restricted.”
It gets worse. According to security sources, the State Department had greenlit a “health check” at the consulate I preparation for 9/11. Nonetheless, the attackers broke the perimeter within 15 minutes of the Libyan mob forming. Local guards did nothing. One witness reported, “The security people just all ran away and the people in charge were the young men with guns and bombs.” According to sources, the Ambassador died from smoke inhalation after he was trapped in a building set on fire and besieged by rioters.
The Libyan government, for all its supposed regret, seems less than troubled by the whole incident. Wissam Buhmeid, who commands the Tripoli government-sanctioned Shield Brigade, which operates as police in Benghazi, stated, “There were definitely people from the security forces who let the attack happen because they were themselves offended by the film; they would absolutely put their loyalty to the Prophet over the consulate. The deaths are all nothing compared to insulting the Prophet.”
Why wasn’t there better protection at the consulate? Because that’s the way Secretary of State Clinton wanted it; the State Department posted no Marines to the consulate. It was staffed instead by those Libyan “security” forces. The consulate also had “no bulletproof glass, reinforced doors or other features common to embassies.”
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/09/13/Obama-Hillary-ignored-warnings-Libyan-embassy
workingclass artist on September 14, 2012 at 10:11 AM
scalleywag on September 14, 2012 at 10:13 AM
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