Eyewitnesses: No Protest at U.S. Consulate in Libya Before Attack Began
A 27 year old Libyan security guard, that was present when the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya broke out, who asked that his name be withheld to protect his identity, was interviewed Thursday in the hospital where he is being treated for five shrapnel wounds in one leg and two bullet wounds in the other, and said that “all was quiet” prior to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and that there were no protesters before the attack began. He asked that the hospital where he is being treated not be identified for fear that militants would track him down and kill him.
The security guard said, “there wasn’t a single ant outside”, and that the entire area, including the main areas of the compound, were quiet, until about 9:35 PM, when as many as 125 heavily armed men, some carrying weapons including anti-aircraft weapons, machine guns, rocket propelled grenades, and grenades, descended on the compound. The eyewitness said the men lobbed grenades into the embassy compound, wounding him and knocking him to the ground, then stormed through the facility’s main gate, shouting “God is great”, and moving to one of the many villas that make up the consulate compound. He said that there was no warning of an imminent attack. He said, “Would you expect if there were protesters outside that the Americans would leave?” He said he was able to escape by telling one of the attackers that he was only a gardener at the compound. The attacker took him to the hospital, the guard said. The attack itself, the guard said, was immediate and bold, initiated by a group of men who approached the compound and lobbed grenades over the wall. Just behind them were scores of men, shooting wildly and yelling “God is great.”