According to highly trusted sources, the Obama administration had received warnings of threats to attack as many as seven US missions in the Middle East on the anniversary of 9/11. As early as September 4, and again a few days later, the warnings were received, but largely ignored.
The embassies were not put on high alert, which is standard procedure in the face of such threats. So they were not prepared for the attacks that occurred on Tuesday night. In fact, at the Cairo embassy, the Marines were unarmed, by order of Ambassador to Egypt Anne Patterson, who did not permit them to carry live ammunition in their weapons.
Contrary to first reports, the attack against the Libyan Consulate in Benghazi yesterday was not a ‘spontaneous’ mob action. It was, in fact, a well-coordinated military attack, targeting an unfortified building serving as the US Consulate in Benghazi, to remind us that the war that began with 9/11 is far from over. The building had none of the standard physical protections of a US diplomatic mission, no armed Marines, and no deterring perimeter. According to consulate personnel, the Consulate may have been under surveillance prior to the attack, and the attack itself was carried out in military-style waves, by well-armed attackers using heavy assault weapons, including RPGs (rocket propelled grenades).
The brutal murder of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans had nothing to do with a low-budget film on youtube that insulted Mohammed, despite recurring statements to the contrary. The film was only an excuse, used to engage people already on the edge of anti-American hysteria.
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