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Gunmen Kill American Teacher in Benghazi U.S. Teacher Gunned Down in Benghazi, Officials Say
(about 5 hours later)
BENGHAZI, Libya — Unidentified men gunned down an American chemistry teacher here on Thursday morning as he went for a jog outside his home, according to Libyan security officials and the director of the teacher’s school. BENGHAZI, Libya — Unidentified men gunned down an American chemistry teacher here on Thursday morning as he jogged outside his home, according to Libyan security officials and the director of the teacher’s school.
A colleague identified the teacher as Ronnie Smith, 33, of Texas. Libyan security officials said they had not yet determined a motive for the killing, which came during a weekslong surge of assassinations and armed clashes in cities across the country. Friends identified the teacher as Ronnie Smith, 33, of Austin, Tex. Libyan security officials said they had yet to determine a motive for the killing, which came during a surge of assassinations and armed clashes in Benghazi.
The State Department confirmed that an American citizen had been shot and killed in Benghazi, without providing further details. Mr. Smith was one of the dwindling number of Western citizens still working in Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011 and now a symbol of Libya’s growing anarchy. Over the last two years, a string of extremist attacks on diplomats and other foreigners, most notably the September 2012 killing of the American ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens, has deepened the city’s isolation.
Many foreigners long ago fled Benghazi, the birthplace of the uprising against Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi in 2011 and now a symbol of Libya’s growing anarchy. There has been a string of extremist attacks on diplomats and other foreigners, most notably the September 2012 killing of the American ambassador, J. Christopher Stevens. Assassinations of security officers or former Qaddafi officials are reported almost daily, and lawless militias, including some linked to Muslim extremists, test the government’s control. Last week, at least nine people were killed as a militia linked to the killing of Mr. Stevens, Ansar al-Shariah, battled a local military unit. On Thursday, at least three security officials were killed in Benghazi.
Assassinations of security officers or former Qaddafi officials are reported almost daily. The city’s unaccountable militias are the biggest challenge to the government’s control. Last week, at least nine people were killed as a militia linked to the killing of Mr. Stevens, Ansar al-Shariah, battled a local military unit. On Thursday, at least four security officials were assassinated in Benghazi. Despite the danger, Mr. Smith, who had been in Benghazi for more than a year, “never thought for a moment he would be targeted,” said Adel Mansouri, the director of the International School in Benghazi, where Mr. Smith taught chemistry to secondary school students.
Despite all the violence, Mr. Smith, who had been in Benghazi for 13 months, “never thought for a moment he would be targeted,” said Adel Mansouri, the director of the International School in Benghazi, where Mr. Smith taught chemistry to secondary school students. After earning a master’s degree in the subject from the University of Texas, Austin, in 2006, Mr. Smith served for a time on the staff of the Austin Stone Community Church, as a teaching pastor and a deacon. He moved to Libya with his wife, Anita, and their young son to continue teaching and “to be a blessing to the Libyan people,” Dave Barrett, a pastor at the church, said in a statement. Mr. Smith’s wife and child were in Texas at the time of the attack, Mr. Barrett said.
On Thursday morning, Mr. Mansouri said, he received a call from Mr. Smith’s landlord telling him about the shooting, and went to identify the teacher’s body, which was lying outside his house in an upscale neighborhood near Dubai Street.
“He liked it there,” Mr. Mansouri said. “He felt very safe. He jogged every day.”
Mr. Smith lived in Benghazi with his wife and young son, who were in the United States at the time of the attack. Mr. Mansouri called Mr. Smith the most popular teacher in the school. He was active on Twitter, where he interacted with students, kept what amounted to a diary of his life in Benghazi and called himself “Libya’s Best Friend.”
Several entries voiced frustration with the city and its residents. At other times, he praised the place. “There’s one thing Libyans are good at: making foreigners feel like family,” he wrote on Oct. 20.
In several entries, he poked fun at the militants. On Oct. 24, he wrote: “Where’s Ansar Al-Sharia when you need them? Someone make a call and tell them boys and girls making out here.” In another entry, he called Libyan Islamists “losers.”
On Nov. 25, the day members of Ansar al-Shariah were driven from their base in Benghazi after armed clashes, Mr. Smith wrote: “More like Ansar Al-see ya!”
A man reached by telephone in Michigan who identified himself as Mr. Smith’s brother-in-law declined to comment on his death. “If you could give us a couple of days, that would be great,” said the man, who identified himself only as Jason. “We just found out about an hour ago.”A man reached by telephone in Michigan who identified himself as Mr. Smith’s brother-in-law declined to comment on his death. “If you could give us a couple of days, that would be great,” said the man, who identified himself only as Jason. “We just found out about an hour ago.”
The University of Texas at Austin, where Mr. Smith earned a master’s degree in chemistry in 2006, released a statement calling his death “a tragedy for the campus and our nation.” After joining the English-language International School, Mr. Smith quickly became its most popular instructor, Mr. Mansouri said.
Mr. Smith’s students in Benghazi posted numerous recollections online on Thursday. “He was one of the very few who didn’t leave Libya when all the others did,” one girl wrote. One of his students, an 18-year-old woman who did not want to be identified, said Libya’s violence had left the students “in a state of depression.” Mr. Smith, she said, was “like a light.”
They also posted pictures, including one of his wedding, and another of him standing in a yard with his wife and son. Another appeared to show him after he was shot, still wearing running clothes and his earphones, with blood pooling at his side. “He was very supportive to us,” she said in a telephone interview. “He helped me with my university applications. After the revolution, most of us lost hope and he encouraged us.”
“Is this a robbery, or terrorism? We just don’t know,” Mr. Mansouri said. When he arrived, he asked what the students did for fun and how they communicated. They did not spend much time outside because of the violence, she said, so they used Twitter. He would join them, she said, often joking as a way to inspire and motivate them.

Suliman Ali Zway reported from Benghazi, and Kareem Fahim from Cairo. Rick Gladstone contributed reporting from New York, and Manny Fernandez  from Houston.

Mr. Smith’s Twitter feed amounted to a diary of his life in Benghazi. He called himself “Libya’s best friend.”
Several entries voiced frustration with the city and its residents. At other times, he praised the place. “There is one thing Libyans are good at: making foreigners feel like family,” he wrote on Oct. 20.
He also poked fun at the militants. On Oct. 24, he wrote: “Where’s Ansar al-Sharia when you need them? Someone make a call and tell them boys and girls making out here.”
On Nov. 25, the day members of Ansar al-Shariah were driven from their base in Benghazi, Mr. Smith wrote, “More like Ansar Al-see ya!”
On Thursday morning, Mr. Mansouri said, he was called to identify the teacher’s body, which was lying outside his house in an upscale neighborhood near the American diplomatic compound where Mr. Stevens was killed.
The principal called an emergency meeting in the assembly hall at the school, where the students were in the middle of midterm examinations, the 18-year-old student said. At the news of Mr. Smith’s death, the room filled with screams and students collapsed.
Mr. Mansouri said Mr. Smith had told him that he planned to stay in Libya for many years. “He felt very safe,” Mr. Mansouri said. “Is this a robbery, or terrorism? We just don’t know.”

Suliman Ali Zway reported from Benghazi, and Kareem Fahim from Cairo. Jennifer Preston contributed reporting from New York, and Manny Fernandez from Houston.