Despite initial Obama administration assertions that the deadly
attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was spontaneous and
instigated by an almost entirely unknown YouTube video attacking the
Muslim prophet Muhammad, there is increasing evidence that the attack
was coordinated and linked to al-Qaida.
In a video message released on Sept. 10, 2012 — the day before the attack on the consulate — al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri confirmed for the first time the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan-born top al-Qaida member killed by an American drone strike in Pakistan in June. Zawahiri expressed hope in the video that with the “martyrdom” of al-Libi, “people will flock even more to his writings and call.”
“I celebrate with the Islamic nation, the holy warriors, the prince of the faithful Mullah Omar and the Muslims and jihadists in Libya, the news of the martyrdom of Libya’s lion,” Zawahiri said.
A day after the video message aired, the American ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other American personnel were killed in the consulate attack in Benghazi.
While the release of the video confirming the death of “Libya’s lion” and the attack on the Benghazi consulate may very well be unconnected, the Obama administration’s charge that the Benghazi attack was the spontaneous result of outrage over an anti-Islam film seems even less likely given recent evidence.
CBS News reported Thursday that witnesses on the ground in Benghazi said there were no anti-American protests outside of the consulate at the time of the attack.
In a video message released on Sept. 10, 2012 — the day before the attack on the consulate — al-Qaida leader Ayman al-Zawahiri confirmed for the first time the death of Abu Yahya al-Libi, a Libyan-born top al-Qaida member killed by an American drone strike in Pakistan in June. Zawahiri expressed hope in the video that with the “martyrdom” of al-Libi, “people will flock even more to his writings and call.”
“I celebrate with the Islamic nation, the holy warriors, the prince of the faithful Mullah Omar and the Muslims and jihadists in Libya, the news of the martyrdom of Libya’s lion,” Zawahiri said.
A day after the video message aired, the American ambassador to Libya, J. Christopher Stevens, and three other American personnel were killed in the consulate attack in Benghazi.
While the release of the video confirming the death of “Libya’s lion” and the attack on the Benghazi consulate may very well be unconnected, the Obama administration’s charge that the Benghazi attack was the spontaneous result of outrage over an anti-Islam film seems even less likely given recent evidence.
CBS News reported Thursday that witnesses on the ground in Benghazi said there were no anti-American protests outside of the consulate at the time of the attack.
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