Al-Qaeda not behind Benghazi attack: report
PHOTO | TOPSHOTS A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi late on September 11, 2012.
What you need to know:
- Citing unnamed US officials and witnesses, the newspaper said the attack, which killed ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was "carried out following a minimum amount of planning."
- According to another official cited by the paper, "There isn't any intelligence that the attackers pre-planned their assault days or weeks in advance."
- Top Republicans have said President Barack Obama's administration is reluctant to acknowledge the incident was an act of terrorism for political reasons
WASHINGTON
US intelligence agencies have found no evidence that last month's deadly attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was ordered by Al-Qaeda, The Los Angeles Times reported late Friday.
Citing unnamed US officials and witnesses, the newspaper said the attack, which killed ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, was "carried out following a minimum amount of planning."
"The attackers exhibited a high degree of disorganization," the paper quotes one of the intelligence officials as saying.
"Some joined the attack in progress, some did not have weapons and others just seemed interested in looting."
According to another official cited by the paper, "There isn't any intelligence that the attackers pre-planned their assault days or weeks in advance."
Most of the evidence suggested that "the attackers launched their assault opportunistically" after learning about the violence at the US Embassy in Cairo, The Times quotes the official as saying.
Top Republicans have said President Barack Obama's administration is reluctant to acknowledge the incident was an act of terrorism for political reasons.
But after five weeks of investigation, US intelligence agencies say they have found no evidence of Al-Qaeda participation, The Times said.
