Obama ordered increased security to protect US diplomatic personnel around the world
TRIPOLI, LIBYA (AP) -- Libyan officials say the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans have been killed in an attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern city of Benghazi by protesters angry over a film that ridiculed Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
President Obama condemned the attack and ordered increased security to protect US diplomatic personnel around the world Wednesday morning.
The officials say Ambassador Chris Stevens was killed Tuesday night when he and a group of embassy employees went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff. The protesters were firing gunshots and rocket propelled grenades.
In a statement, Obama said he had ordered "all necessary resources to support the security of our personnel in Libya, and to increase security at our diplomatic posts around the globe."
All of the officials - three in all - hold senior security positions in Benghazi. They are deputy interior minister for eastern Libya Wanis al-Sharaf; Benghazi security chief Abdel-Basit Haroun; and Benghazi city council and security official Ahmed Bousinia.
Obama said: "I strongly condemn the outrageous attack on our diplomatic facility in Benghazi." The four Americans "exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe," he said.
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in eastern Libya should "shock the conscience of people of all faiths around the world." She says there was no justification for the attack, and decried violent extremism
"All the Americans we lost in yesterday's attacks made the ultimate sacrifice," said Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. "We condemn this vicious and violent attack that took their lives, which they had committed to helping the Libyan people reach for a better future."
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney says it's never too early for America to condemn attacks on its sovereignty and says the White House gave "mixed signals" in its response to the breach of the American embassy in Egypt. Romney on Wednesday condemned attacks against the American consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four U.S. diplomats, including the U.S. ambassador.
Still, Romney stood by his sharp statement Tuesday night criticizing the Obama administration. On Wednesday, he said that statement from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo was "akin to apology" and a "severe miscalculation."
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