J
jollyjacktar
Guest
This is not going to go down well. Mobs are unhappy about a alleged movie that is insulting to Islam.
Mod edit of thread title clarify original Benghazi attack, not a newer/more recent attack
U.S. ambassador in Libya reported killed in consulate attack
Chris Stevens, 3 others killed over Prophet Muhammad film, reports say
CBC News Posted: Sep 12, 2012 6:27 AM ET
The U.S. ambassador to Libya and three other Americans have been killed in an attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, according to reports.
There are conflicting reports of the circumstances surrounding the death of Chris Stevens and the others Tuesday night.
Al-Jazeera is reporting Stevens died of smoke inhalation after a mob attacked the consulate and set it on fire. Reuters, citing an unnamed Libyan official, said the four Americans died after militants fired rockets at their car in Benghazi.
Filmmaker in hiding
The attack was prompted by Muslim outrage over a film by a Californian that depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, a womanizer and a madman in an overtly ridiculing way, showing him having sex and calling for massacres.
"I do condemn the cowardly act of attacking the US consulate and the killing of Mr. Stevens and the other diplomats," Libya's deputy prime minister, Mustafa Bushagar, said via Twitter.
"Amb. Stevens was a friend of Libya and we are shocked at the attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi," Bushagar said. "I condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms. This is an attack on America, Libya and free people everywhere."
Sam Bacile, who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew, wrote, produced and directed the two-hour film, Innocence of Muslims, The Associated Press reported Bacile went into hiding on Tuesday.
In an interview with AP, Bacile called Islam a cancer and said he intended his film to be a provocative political statement condemning the religion.
A 14-minute film trailer was posted on YouTube in an original English version, and another was dubbed into Egyptian Arabic.
U.S. condemns violence
Anger over the film also touched off protests in Egypt, where protesters climbed over the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, pulled down the American flag and replaced it with an Islamic banner.
The U.S. has condemned the violence over the film.
"Some have sought to justify this vicious behaviour as a response to inflammatory material posted on the internet," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a statement released by the State Department.
"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."
If confirmed, Stevens, 52, would become the fifth U.S. ambassador ever killed while on duty, and the first since Adolph Dubs was killed in Afghanistan in 1979.
A career diplomat, Stevens took over as U.S. ambassador to Libya in May. He had previously done two diplomatic postings in Libya, including a stint in Benghazi during the revolt that brought down Moammar Gadhafi.
With files from The Associated Press
Mod edit of thread title clarify original Benghazi attack, not a newer/more recent attack