Ambassador Susan Rice: Libya Attack Not Premeditated
Source: ABC News
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice said the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was not premeditated, directly contradicting top Libyan officials who say the attack was planned in advance.
Our current best assessment, based on the information that we have at present, is that, in fact, what this began as, it was a spontaneous not a premeditated response to what had transpired in Cairo, Rice told me this morning on This Week.
In Cairo, as you know, a few hours earlier, there was a violent protest that was undertaken in reaction to this very offensive video that was disseminated, Rice said, referring to protests in Egypt Tuesday over a film that depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud. Protesters in Cairo breached the walls of the U.S. American Embassy, tearing apart an American flag.
We believe that folks in Benghazi, a small number of people came to the embassy to or to the consulate, rather, to replicate the sort of challenge that was posed in Cairo, Rice said. And then as that unfolded, it seems to have been hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists who came with heavier weapons
And it then evolved from there.
Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/09/ambassador-susan-rice-libya-attack-not-premeditated/
SayitAintSo
(2,207 posts)Earlier reports and descriptions indicate otherwise. Wonder what this means?
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)especially in hot spots that could easily reignite into major, regional events. There is also evidence that it was planned in the US and exported from one of our very own Tealiban expat.
If either GWB or Mitt had been in charge, well, we already know what would be happening.
Response to cr8tvlde (Reply #2)
proverbialwisdom This message was self-deleted by its author.
BootinUp
(46,924 posts)without the riots, the riots created the opportunity.
and the riots may not have happened if an ignorant film had not been made insulting a major religion. Violent and ignorant American and Islamic extremist always have boots on the ground waiting for an opening. That's right wing nut and ME extremists if my meaning isn't clear.
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)full well what would happen and that people would get killed???? Premeditated. (Murder 1)
Or the unsuspecting intendeds reacting violently, for cause? (Involuntary manslaughter)
One is Jewish Israeli and being "protected" by Los Angeles PD, the others Muslims, "vilified, damned and ridiculed". This, in and of itself, is telling.
Quote: Innocence of Islam cost $5 million dollars and was funded by more than 100 Jewish donors. It was written and directed by Bacile, filmed in 2011, and is two hours long. The production employed 59 actors.
http://www.jewishpress.com/news/breaking-news/israeli-filmmaker-whose-innocence-of-islam-started-riots-in-benghazi-cairo-went-underground/2012/09/12/
And don't call me anti-semetic because Muslims are Semites or racist because both are Caucasians, as well.
And imagine the outrage if Muslims in Hollywood or Teheran put out a 2 hour story vilifying Judaism...and the Torah provides some pretty rank material...or Christianity who still claims the violent Old Testament. There would be hell to pay, in any number of ways. Gitmo?
Just noticed that YouTube will not take down the trailers, but are limiting "Muslims" access/viewing.
no problem with any thing you stated. Whole things stinks to high heaven. They knew what they were doing, in making this 'film' and distributing it on social media to be seen by millions. You Tube, Google and all the rest?
aquart
(69,014 posts)Or, you just can't let go of any excuse to blame the Jews which would, indeed, make you anti-Semitic?
Try more recent information instead of the deliberate disinformation only suckers swallowed:
http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/national_world&id=8812521
dkf
(37,305 posts)How about if anti-abortionists go ballistic over some pro-choice film. Would that be "for cause"?
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)His entire identity was a scam as well. Maybe I'm wrong.
Maeve
(42,223 posts)Even the RWnut who helped with it admits the Israeli thing was fake.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/sam-bacile-anti-islam-filmmakers-bio-add/story?id=17222103#.UFn3clE0N8E
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2012/0915/Nakoula-Basseley-Nakoula-AKA-Sam-Basile-questioned-in-anti-Islam-video-video
pscot
(21,023 posts)but the assault sounds like a well-planned operation that took advantage of the opportunity.
amandabeech
(9,893 posts)My money is on the whole thing being related more to the AQ No. 2 who died in a drone strike in June. The British ambassador was attacked then, and I believe that this consulate saw a demonstration and possibly a minor attack.
According to the Libyans, Benzhazi and another eastern town, Derna, have some indigenous radical militias that have been causing problems.
I just don't buy Susan Rice's full explanation.
There have been some mention of Rice taking over from H. Clinton at the end of the year, but this performance isn't what I'd expect of a Sec. of State candidate.
I'm rooting for Kerry, myself.
pscot
(21,023 posts)to the public was part of the job description.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)the "spontaneous riot that got out of control" scenario:
* RPG attacks from three sides on the consular building
* Inside knowledge on plan to relocate to a safehouse a mile away, and knowledge of the location of the safehouse
* Second attack - ambush using mortars on vehicles in a caravan as it approached the safehouse
* Killing of two armed security officers who arrived by helicopter.
Looks like a planned and coordinated military operation. Rice may be the point on this because State Dept. has clammed up, citing FBI investigation.
There's no question that Ambassador and staff were warned of and aware of rising threat levels from increasingly hostile Jihadist groups in the area, if not the details of this specific attack.
chill_wind
(13,514 posts)issued a moratorium to U.S. Media on Friday afternoon to stop talking about it. Stop asking about it.
"I'm going to frustrate all of you, infinitely, by telling you that now that we have an open FBI investigation on the death of these four Americans, we are not going to be in a position to talk at all about what the U.S. government may or may not be learning about how any of this this happened -- not who they were, not how it happened, not what happened to Ambassador Stevens, not any of it -- until the Justice Department is ready to talk about the investigation that's its got," State Department spokeswoman Victorian Nuland told reporters late Friday afternoon.
"So I'm going to send to the FBI for those kinds of questions and they're probably not going to talk to you about it," she said.
State Department: Stop asking us about the Benghazi attack
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/14/state_department_stop_asking_us_about_the_benghazi_attack
leveymg
(36,418 posts)Too late, Ms. Rice.
This whole regime change policy has become a major disaster. The machinery is already in gear for direct US involvement in another war after the election, and then the Main Event against Iran to follow shortly thereafter, and somehow I doubt even this will sober them up.
Here is the original backgrounder that was given.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2012/09/12/senior_officials_reveal_details_of_harrowing_battle_at_benghazi_consulate
leveymg, have you seen this re:Sean Smith?
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/vilerat/?utm_source=Contextly&utm_medium=RelatedLinks&utm_campaign=Previous
Festivito
(13,452 posts)If there is a connection between who paid protesters and who paid for the movie, the investigation would not return results for years maybe decades, let alone before election time.
Maybe it is best to squash it, and both side would agree at this point.
But, NOT coordinated... that's crazy talk.
aquart
(69,014 posts)suffragette
(12,232 posts)And then as that unfolded, it seems to have been hijacked, let us say, by some individual clusters of extremists who came with heavier weapons..."
"hijacked, let us say"?
Sounds like the "hijackers" were prepared to do what they did and that sounds like pre-planning was involved.
dkf
(37,305 posts)If they are caught trying to play this as something not preventable when it was this is a big mistake.
It smacks of Condoleeza Rice's assertion that there is no way they could have known.
I really hope they have their facts down.
Submariner
(12,482 posts)but not a peep from the same muslims about the 10s of thousands of their brother and sister muslims being KILLED in Syria.
To parrot Arsenio Hall; "Makes one think....Hmmmmmm." Can you spell H-Y-P-O-C-R-I-T-E-S.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)the USG. The US has not been actively pursing Jihadis inside Libya since the overthrow of Gadaffi, and Eastern Libya has become an al-Qaeda safe area from which foreign fighters are dispatched to the "holy war" against the Shi'ia in Syria. That's one of the most significant things about this event. It's blowback from the intersection of two US regime change operations. Please, see, http://www.democraticunderground.com/10021343355
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)We decide who is the bad guy, take him out, believing that we empowered the good guys. We've done it for decades, yeah centuries. Can't even speak the language, no clue about their culture, but we damn sure know who is right and who is wrong. And we magically get a military base to "protect our interests".
Put otherwise, we are clear about what we want and who can help us and how much we have to pay to get it. Regime change or civil war...pretty clear choice.
We recently took down two "Dictators"...Mubarak and Quadafi ... and can't figure out why the little people don't love us and behave themselves and do what we want.
That was after Saddam and the Taliban...that didn't end up too well. Now Tehran runs Iraq and the Taliban are in the wings for Afghanistan. And most Americans still don't get it. Trillions of dollars and a sh--load of death, anger and revenge...left in the ME sands. Ungrateful bastards.
To quote Nixon or LBJ ... "He might be a son of a bitch, but he's our son of a bitch." About sums it up.
leveymg
(36,418 posts)to learn much from. Most of South America now hates our guts, and there's a near-war on the border with Mexico because of another failed policy.
All this is what happens when you put soldiers and policemen in charge of your foreign policy, and systemically exclude the Left from all policymaking positions. You get stuck in permanent wars against enemies we created, armed and trained to kill other enemies. A viscous circle.
cr8tvlde
(1,185 posts)and not go meddling for ill or for good in others. Especially those who are under seige themselves.
Red Herring. False Equivalency.
What should they do, make a movie about Assad, accuse his wife of adultery or something, make fun of his kids and send it out over the internet? How do you spell R-E-D H-E-R-R-I-N-G.
We got a few of those ourselves...Terry Jones comes to mind. Why aren't we out there shutting down his disgusting church?
The American Tealiban? Pot, meet Kettle.
aquart
(69,014 posts)Because I do and they haven't been particularly quiet in the English language tweets. My suspicion is that the Arabic and Farsi tweets have been even more vocal.
Although it's important to remember that Iranians can disappear if they tweet wrong.
emilyg
(22,742 posts)chill_wind
(13,514 posts)16 September 2012
Libyan authorities have arrested some 50 people in connection with last week's deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, the president of Libya's interim assembly says.
Mohamed Magarief told CBS News he had "no doubt" the attack was pre-planned.
more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19617175
Ansar al-Sharia?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19575753
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-19582810
spinbaby
(15,073 posts)It was planned, definitely, it was planned by foreigners, by people who entered the country a few months ago, and they were planning this criminal act since their arrival, told CBS News.
He's a little closer to the situation, don't you think?
aquart
(69,014 posts)I thought he was arresting Libyans.
former9thward
(31,798 posts)He says it was planned months in advance. http://www.politico.com/blogs/politico-live/2012/09/libyan-president-no-doubt-consulate-attack-preplanned-135664.html In addition the U.S. was warned 3 days in advance by a Libyan official and apparently ignored the warnings. http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/15/world/meast/libya-diplomats-warning/index.html?hpt=hp_t2
davidpdx
(22,000 posts)There seems to be a lot of misinformation going around about this. The only thing I can say for sure is that I hope the guy that made the video clip rots in hell.
SkepticMetric
(7 posts)Most of us were aghast when Romney delivered his blast so fast about trouble exploding in the Middle East. Hey, I am aghast all over again, in fact, just about gassed out after hearing Susan Rice vow that the attack on the American consulate in Benghazi was purely "spontaneous combustion" due to anger over the offensive video.
I find it amazingly naive of Ms. Rice to vouch with total certitude that NO enemy force planned their murderous mayhem before the horrid videotape hit the internet. How could our government have reached their verdict that our consulate became a killing field simply because a cursing crowd got out of hand?
This explanation does not pass any sort of communications research logic. No wonder the far right is butting into this momentously significant matter. It's not, to borrow the phrase, "Something stinks in Denmark', so to speak. Hell no, something stinks when our diplomats rashly rush to judgment!
glacierbay
(2,477 posts)Does she honestly believe that the American people, hell, most of the world, believes that? I really hope this doesn't come back to bite the Admin. in the ass.