Benghazi Talking Points Revisions - 9/15/2012 lyrics

Saturday, September 15th 9:45 a.m.

• The currently avaiable information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the protests at the U.S> Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the U.S. Consulate and subsequently its annex. This assessment may change as additional information is colelcted and analyzed and currently available information continues to be evaluated. On 10 September the Agency notified Embassy Cairo of social media reports calling for a demonstartion and encouraging jihadists to break into the Embassy.
• The investigation is ongoing as to who is responsible for the violence, although the crowd was almost certainly a mix of individuals. That being said, there are indication staht Islamic extremists participated in the violent demstrations.
• The wide availabilitty of weapons and experienced fighters in Libya almost certainly contribute to the lethality of the attacks.
• The Agency has produced numerous pieces on the threat of extremists linked to al Qa'ida in Benghazi and eastern Libya. Since April, there have been at least five other attacks against foreign interests in Benghazi by unidentified assilants, including the June attack against the British Ambassador's convoy. We cannot rule out the individuals has previously surveiled the U.S. facilities, also contributing to the efficacy of the attacks.
• The U.S. Government is working w/ Libyan authorities and intelligence partners in an effortto help bring to justice those responsible for the deaths of U.S. citizens.