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American killed in attack on US consulate in Benghazi
Libya: American killed in attack on US consulate in Benghazi
(35 minutes later)
Protesters angered over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad fired gunshots and burned down the US consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi, killing one American diplomat, witnesses and the State Department said. In Egypt, protesters scaled the walls of the US embassy in Cairo and replaced an American flag with an Islamic banner.
An American member of staff at the US consulate in Benghazi has died following fierce clashes at the compound, two Libyan security sources said on Wednesday.
It was 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 leaders, Muammar Gaddafi and Hosni Mubarak in uprisings last year.
"One American staff member has died and a number have been injured in the clashes," Abdel-Monem Al-Hurr, spokesman for Libya's supreme security committee, said, adding that he did not know the exact number of injured.
The protests in both countries were sparked by outrage over a film ridiculing Muhammad produced by an American 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.
Gunmen attacked the compound in the eastern city on Tuesday evening, clashing with Libyan security forces before the latter withdrew as they came under heavy fire. Reuters reporters on the scene saw looters raiding the compound, walking off with desks, chairs and washing machines. A security official said a fire was burning inside the consulate and that staff had been evacuated. Three injured members of the Libyan security forces taken away in an ambulance.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton confirmed that one State Department officer had been killed in the protest at the US consulate in Benghazi. She strongly condemned the attack and said she had called Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif "to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in Libya."
The gunmen formed part of a group protesting against a US film they say is blasphemous.
Clinton expressed concern that the protests might spread to other countries. She said the US is working with "partner countries around the world to protect our personnel, our missions, and American citizens worldwide."
The incident followed a protest in Egypt where demonstrators scaled the walls of the US embassy, tore down the American flag and burned it during a protest over the same film, which attacks Islam's prophet, Muhammad.
"Some have sought to justify this vicious behaviour as a response to inflammatory material posted on the Internet," Clinton said in a statement released by the State Department.
The film, clips of which are available on YouTube, depicts Muhammad as a fraud, showing him having sex and calling for massacres. Muslims find it offensive to depict Muhammad in any fashion, much less in an insulting way.
"The United States deplores any intentional effort to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. Our commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation. But let me be clear: There is never any justification for violent acts of this kind. "
Hurr said roads in Benghazi had been closed off and security forces were surrounding the building. He said the clashes were outside the consulate building.
In Benghazi, a large mob stormed the US consulate, with gunmen firing their weapons, said Wanis al-Sharef, an interior ministry official. A witness said attackers fired automatic weapons and rocket-propelled grenades at the consulate as they clashed with Libyans hired to guard the facility.
"There is a connection between this attack and the protests that have been happening in Cairo," he added.
Outnumbered by the crowd, Libyan security forces did little to stop them, />al-Sharef said.
"They are trying to take advantage of the security situation in Libya and cause more instability in the country."
The crowd overwhelmed the facility and set fire to it, burning most of it and looting the contents, witnesses said.
The United States condemned the Benghazi attack and said efforts are underway with the help of Libyan authorities to secure the facility.
One American was shot to death and a second was wounded in the hand, al-Sharef said. He did not give further details.
State Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland said: "We can confirm that our office in Benghazi, Libya has been attacked by a group of militants. We are working with the Libyans now to secure the compound. We condemn in strongest terms this attack on our diplomatic mission."
The violence at the consulate lasted for about three hours, but the situation has now quieted down, said another witness.
Benghazi, the cradle of last year's uprising that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, has been hit by several bombings and attacks on international convoys as well as some western missions.
"I heard nearly 10 explosions and all kinds of weapons. It was a terrifying day," said the witness who refused to give his name because he feared retribution.
In June, an explosive device was dropped from a passing car outside the offices of the US diplomatic mission. The blast that followed slightly damaged the gate in front of the building. A week later, a British embassy convoy was attacked about 300 metres from the British consulate office in the city.
Hours before the Benghazi attack, hundreds of mainly ultraconservative Islamist protesters in Egypt marched to the US Embassy in Cairo, gathering outside its walls and chanting against the movie and the US. Most of the embassy staff had left the compound earlier because of warnings of the upcoming demonstration.
In Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Egyptian police had removed the demonstrators who entered the embassy grounds.
