Two American State Department employees were killed in Bengzahi, Lybia after militants attacked the U.S. consulate. They attacked over an American made film depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a fraud and womanizer. U.S. officials are alarmed as there could be more attacks. Click below to read more.
Anger over the film that some believe insults the Prophet Muhammad also provoked protests in Cairo Tuesday, where demonstrators climbed the walls of the U.S. embassy, took down the American flag and replaced it with a black flag.
A senior U.S. senior official told ABC News they are on alert throughout the region and fear there could be more attacks to come. One of the American State Department employees likely died of smoke inhalation Tuesday from the fire at the consulate, according to the U.S official.
The death of the second employee was confirmed Wednesday, according to the U.S. official. There is no word yet on how that employee died.
There were about 20 attackers with small arms who stormed the consulate. There was a firefight with Libyan security officers guarding the consulate, according to the U.S. official. One of the buildings was completely destroyed by fire set by the militants.
The group that attacked the consulate is called Ansar al Sharia, according to Libyan sources. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not mention the movie as motivation. The group is close to al Qaeda ideology and exists in east Libya.
“I condemn in the strongest terms the attack on our mission in Benghazi today,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement released Tuesday night. “As we work to secure our personnel and facilities, we have confirmed that one of our State Department officers was killed. We are heartbroken by this terrible loss. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and those who have suffered in this attack.”
Libyan President Mohammed Yussef Magariaf promised to coordinate additional support to protect Americans in the country, condemned the assault on the embassy and pledged his government’s full cooperation, Clinton said.
In Cairo, dozens of protesters scaled the embassy walls and took down the flag from a pole in the courtyard. After trying unsuccessfully to burn it, they ripped it apart and replaced it with a black flag bearing Arabic writing. Reports that the black flag was from al Qaeda were not confirmed.
