[h=3]By MARGARET COKER[/h]The U.S. Ambassador to Libya, Christopher Stevens, was killed when suspected Libyan religious extremists stormed the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi late Tuesday night, according to Libyan Deputy Prime Minister Mustafa Abushagour.
Associated PressU.S. envoy J. Christopher Stevens
Egyptian protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and replaced the flag with a black standard bearing an Islamic inscription, in protest of a film deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. Matt Bradley has details on The News Hub.
Libyan officials spent the night in a manhunt trying to find those responsible for the killing of the American diplomat and three other American employees of the consulate. It was unclear whether the bodies of the Americans had been recovered.
"I condemn the cowardly act of attacking the U.S. consulate and the killing of Mr. Stevens and the other diplomats," said Mr. Abushagour. "This is an attack on America, Libya and free people everywhere."
The circumstances surrounding the death of Ambassador Stevens weren't immediately clear. The American official, who is usually based in the capital Tripoli, apparently was visiting Benghazi ahead of the planned opening of an American cultural center there, according to a Libyan official.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the news, with a diplomat in Tripoli saying that a statement would be released soon. A second Libyan official said that the newly elected General National Congress was expected to call a state of emergency in Libya later in the day.
Write to Margaret Coker at [email protected]
Associated PressU.S. envoy J. Christopher Stevens
Egyptian protesters climbed the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo and replaced the flag with a black standard bearing an Islamic inscription, in protest of a film deemed offensive to the Prophet Muhammad. Matt Bradley has details on The News Hub.
Libyan officials spent the night in a manhunt trying to find those responsible for the killing of the American diplomat and three other American employees of the consulate. It was unclear whether the bodies of the Americans had been recovered.
"I condemn the cowardly act of attacking the U.S. consulate and the killing of Mr. Stevens and the other diplomats," said Mr. Abushagour. "This is an attack on America, Libya and free people everywhere."
The circumstances surrounding the death of Ambassador Stevens weren't immediately clear. The American official, who is usually based in the capital Tripoli, apparently was visiting Benghazi ahead of the planned opening of an American cultural center there, according to a Libyan official.
The U.S. Embassy declined to comment on the news, with a diplomat in Tripoli saying that a statement would be released soon. A second Libyan official said that the newly elected General National Congress was expected to call a state of emergency in Libya later in the day.
Write to Margaret Coker at [email protected]