Since the Sept. 11 assault on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi
Below is an account, compiled by CBS News, from sources who
spoke to us in Washington Benghazi
Security Incidents
Prior to the Benghazi
December 2011: Terror plot thwarted, but Benghazi
March 2012: U.S. Tripoli
July 2012: RSO Nordstrom again requests additional
security (perhaps via cable signed by Amb. Stevens dated July 9, see below).
Early August: State Dept. removes the last of three
6-man State Dept. security teams and a 16-man military SST team from Libya
Timeline of 9/11
Consulate Attack As It Unfolds
Hours before the assault, nearly 750 miles away in Cairo Benghazi
Around 12:00 p.m.
(6:00 a.m. ET ): The U.S. Embassy
in Cairo
Around 9:00 p.m. (3:00 p.m. ET): In the walled Benghazi
compound, U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens says good night to the Turkish
Ambassador Ali Kemal Aydin and retires to his room in Building C, a large
residence with numerous bedrooms and a safe haven.
There are three other structures in the compound: Building
B, a residence with bedrooms and a cantina and dining room; a Tactical
Operations Center (TOC) located across from building B, containing offices, one
bedroom and security cameras; and barracks located by the front gate, staffed
by Libyan security guards.
At this time, there are five diplomatic security agents (DS)
on site - three based in Benghazi
The agent hits the alarm and alerts the CIA
security team in the nearby annex and the Libyan 17th of February Brigade, one
of several powerful militias serving as a de facto security presence in Benghazi Tripoli
State Dept. Diplomatic Security follows events in real time
on a listen-only, audio-only feed, according to testimony of Charlene Lamb, the
deputy assistant director for international programs, given before the House
Oversight and Government Reform Committee on Oct 10.
Around 10 p.m. (4 p.m. ET ): At the compound, several DS
agents leave to get tactical gear from Building B. One stays in Building C with
Ambassador Stevens and Information Officer Sean Smith. The mob sets fire to the
17th of February Brigade barracks on site.
DS agent Scott Strickland moves Stevens and Smith to the
closest area "safe haven" in Building C.
The other agents, currently in Building B and the TOC come
under attack.
The attackers gets into Building C, lights furniture on
fire, then the building's exterior. Stevens, Smith and Agent Strickland move to
the bathroom and lay on floor but decide to leave safe haven after being
overcome by smoke.
Strickland goes out an emergency escape window. Stevens and
Smith do not follow. Strickland returns several times but can't find them in
the overwhelming smoke. He goes up to the roof and radios the other agents.
Three agents return to Building C via armored vehicle. They
search and find Smith's body, but not Stevens.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is told of the incident
"shortly after it began at 4 p.m. ,"
CBS News' Margaret Brennan reported Sept. 14. Clinton
Meanwhile, the U.S. Benghazi CIA
team on the ground. It would take roughly an hour to arrive.
Around 10:30 p.m.
(4:30 p.m. ET ): Defense
Secretary Leon Panetta and his top military adviser learn of the incident.
At the compound, the 17th of February Brigade says they
can't hold the perimeter and withdraws.
DS agents make final search for Stevens and leave with the CIA
team in an armored vehicle heading for the annex, taking fire along the way.
Of note, when CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer visited the
compound in one of several trips to Libya
Over the next two hours, Sec. Panetta holds a series of
meetings and issues several orders: Two Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team (FAST )
platoons stationed in Rota, Spain prepare to deploy - one to Benghazi and the
other to the Embassy in Tripoli; A special operations team in Europe is ordered
to move to Sigonella, Sicily - less than one hour's flight away from Benghazi;
An additional special operations team based in the U.S. is ordered to deploy to
Sigonella.
Around 12:30 a.m.
(6:30 p.m. ET ): A six-man
security team, including two Defense Dept. personnel, leave Embassy Tripoli for
Benghazi
At around the same time, the additional security team finds
transportation from the airport under the escort of the Libyan Shield, another
local militia, but decides to head to the annex after learning that Stevens was
almost certainly dead. Just after their arrival, the annex takes mortar fire,
sustaining three direct hits. The precision of the attacks indicates a level of
sophistication and coordination.
Former U.S. Navy SEALs Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty are
killed in the mortar assault, which lasts just 11 minutes before dissipating; a
DS agent and annex security member are severely wounded.
After the mortar attack, about 30 Americans evacuate the
annex and head to the airport, with the assistance of the Libyan security
convoy.
Ambassador Stevens is confirmed dead later that morning, as
Americans see his body at the airport
Around 7:40 a.m. (1:40 a.m. ET): Unable to fit on one
plane, the first wave of Americans - consisting of U.S. diplomats and civilians
- departs Benghazi and heads to Tripoli, leaving behind security staff and
bodies.
Around 10:00 a.m.
(4 a.m. ET ): The second flight leaves Benghazi Tripoli U.S.
President Obama is told of Stevens' death. State Department
tells all diplomatic posts around the world to review their security posture
and to take all necessary steps to enhance it
Around 7 p.m. (1 p.m. ET ): Americans are transported out of Tripoli Ramstein ,
Germany
Around 8 p.m. (2 p.m. ET ): U.S. Sigonella , Sicily
Around 9 p.m. (3 p.m. ET ): A FAST
platoon arrives in Tripoli
Post-Attack Response
and Investigation
Sept. 12: Secretary Clinton announces the death of
Stevens and Smith via press release.
President Obama addresses the public: "Make no mistake,
we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who
attacked our people.
"Since our founding, the United
States
The president spends time with State Department personnel in
an impromptu visit that is closed to the press.
In an interview with President Obama the same day, "60
Minutes" correspondent Steve Kroft presses the president on early accounts
that the attack stemmed from a spontaneous protest, saying it didn't
"sound like your normal demonstration..”
"We're still investigating exactly what happened,"
Mr. Obama said. "I don't want to jump the gun on this. But you're right
that this is not a situation that was exactly the same as what happened in Egypt
Meanwhile, Clinton
Meanwhile, senior State Dept. officials share initial
details of the attack in Benghazi Benghazi
CBS News' David Martin reports that some U.S.
The FBI officially opens an investigation into the deaths of
Stevens and the three other Americans killed, as reported by CBS News' Andres
Triay and Bob Orr.
Sept. 13: A government official speaking on the
condition of anonymity said the FBI is planning to send investigators to Germany
CBS News' David Martin reports that a radical Islamic group
called Ansar al Sharia is the lead suspect in the attack, according to U.S.
Sec. Clinton remains in regular contact with other top
officials such as Secretary Panetta and Gen. Dempsey, CBS News' Margaret
Brennan reports.
Marine anti-terrorist teams similar to the one sent to Tripoli Yemen
CBS News' Charlie D'Agata gets access to an injured Libyan
guard based inside the consulate, who offers a firsthand account of the attack
and makes the first mention of Blue Mountain
Sept. 14: The bodies of Stevens, Smith, Woods and
Doherty are returned to the U.S.
CBS News' Brennan reports that Clinton
CBS News' Cami McCormick reports on protests outside the
U.S. Embassy in Khartoum , Sudan
CBS News' Charlie D'Agata interviews members of the 17th of
February Brigade's VIP protection team
involved in the evacuation and obtains exclusive photos of an injured American
being evacuated to the airport from the annex under the brigade's escort. They
put the total number of Americans evacuated from Benghazi
Sept. 15: CBS News' D'Agata is the first reporter to locate
the secret CIA annex in Benghazi
Sept. 16: U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan
Rice tells Bob Schieffer on CBS' "Face the Nation" that there is no
information that suggests the attack was preplanned.
"We'll want to see the results of that investigation to
draw any definitive conclusions. But based on the best information we have to
date, what our assessment is as of the present is in fact what began
spontaneously in Benghazi as a reaction to what had transpired some hours
earlier in Cairo where, of course, as you know, there was a violent protest
outside of our embassy ... sparked by this hateful video. But soon after that
spontaneous protest began outside of our consulate in Benghazi, we believe that
it looks like extremist elements, individuals, joined in that -- in that effort
with heavy weapons of the sort that are, unfortunately, readily now available
in Libya post-revolution. And that it spun from there into something much, much
more violent. ... We do not have information at present that leads us to
conclude that this was premeditated or preplanned."
Earlier in that same program, Libyan President Magariaf
tells Schieffer that the assault was preplanned and some of the attackers were
foreigners.
"The way these perpetrators acted and moved ... this
leaves us with no doubt that this has preplanned, determined - predetermined
... It was planned -- definitely, it was planned by foreigners, by people who
-- who entered the country a few months ago, and they were planning this
criminal act since their -- since their arrival."
Magariaf also claimed "about 50" people had been
arrested in connection with the attack.
- Magariaf separately states Ahmed Boukhatala is one of the
lead suspects. CBS News interviews Boukhatala over mango juice off camera and
admitted he was there that night but denies any involvement in the attack. At
that point, he had still not been questioned and was moving freely in Benghazi
Sept. 17: FBI officials say that they will not be going
to the crime scene until they are sure they have substantial protection.
Sept. 18: Secretary Clinton tells CBS News' Margaret
Brennan that the attack was the work of extremists: "Let me assure you
that our security in Benghazi Benghazi
- Meanwhile, CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer reports from Benghazi Benghazi
Sept. 19: Director of the National Counterterrorism
Center Matthew Olsen tells Congress that the Benghazi
Sept. 20: House Oversight Committee sends a letter to
Secretary Clinton asking for information in regard to the attack.
U.S. State Department spends $70,000 to buy ad time on seven
Pakistani TV stations, featuring clips of Secretary of State Clinton and
President Obama disavowing the film "Innocence of Muslims." The clips
were taken from previous speeches from Mr. Obama and Clinton. Pakistan
The State Department issues an alert warning Americans to
avoid nonessential travel to Pakistan
CBS News obtains a memo detailing injuries sustained by DS personnel
in Benghazi
"Special Agent David Ubben, was injured during the
attacks on Consulate Benghazi. From the last I have heard, Dave repeatedly
entered the burning Consulate to recover injured personnel, was involved in a
heavy firefight, and at some point was struck by mortar shrapnel. David has
been successfully evacuated to Tripoli Germany
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers a closed
briefing to Congress.
Sept. 21: Secretary Clinton says "what happened in
Benghazi
Sept. 28: The Office of the Director of National
Intelligence releases the following statement:
"As we learned more about the attack, we revised our
initial assessment to reflect new information indicating that it was a
deliberate and organized terrorist attack carried out by extremists. It remains
unclear if any group or person exercised overall command and control of the
attack, and if extremist group leaders directed their members to participate.
However, we do assess that some of those involved were linked to groups
affiliated with, or sympathetic to al-Qa'ida."
Oct. 1: State Dept. security team reviews security
camera footage of the attack in Benghazi
Oct. 2: Secretary Clinton announces her appointees to
the Accountability Review Board (ARB), which will conduct the probe of the
events of Sept. 11. The board begins work the same week.
Oct. 3: Secretary Clinton responds to question from CBS
News' Margaret Brennan about claims that Washington Libya
"Let me start by cautioning everyone against seizing on
any single statement or piece of information to draw final conclusions. It's
essential that we go through all of the information and the entire context so
that we can get a full and complete accurate understanding of what happened. I
take this responsibility very seriously, and I believe that our diplomats, our
leaders, and the American people deserve a rigorous, serious, careful process
... no one wants the answers more than we do here at the department. And now
based on the reviews so far, we're developing a better understanding of what
happened, but we have a lot of work to do to give complete and accurate
responses to all the questions and statements that are swirling out
there."
Oct. 4: CBS News' Bob Orr reports the FBI arrived at
the consulate in Benghazi
Oct. 5: CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson reports on questions
over whether the Benghazi compound was adequately secured:
-- Lt. Colonel Andy Wood who headed the Site Security Team
in Libya U.S. Libya Washington
DC
-- Wood said his team and a six-member mobile security
deployment team were pulled from Libya
-- Congress and others say there were 13 threats and attacks
leading up to the September 11 assault.
Oct. 8: In an interview with CBS News' Attkisson, Lt.
Col. Wood says there was "pressure to reduce the number of security
people" in Libya
The State Department told CBS News' State Dept.
correspondent Margaret Brennan that despite the withdrawal of Wood's security
support team, it had "no impact whatsoever on the total number of fully
trained American security personnel in Libya Benghazi
In addition, the State Dept. said Wood was stationed in Tripoli Benghazi
Brennan also first reports that there is video evidence of
the assault in Benghazi
Oct 9: Two senior U.S. State Dept officials share a
timeline of events.
Oct. 10: The House Oversight and Government Reform
Committee holds a hearing into the attack, with testimony from Lt. Col. Wood,
former regional security officer in Libya Eric Nordstrom, State Department's
deputy assistant director for international programs Charlene Lamb and State
Department's Under Secretary of State for Management Patrick Kennedy.
Lawmakers questioned the pre-attack security levels and the
government's initial linking of the attack to the anti-Muslim film.
Meanwhile, Colonel Hamid Hassi, a senior Libyan army
officer, tells CBS News' Elizabeth Palmer that he believes American
intelligence knows exactly where Ansar al Sharia, the group linked to the
attack, are.
Hassi said a drone strike would be a mistake, and that any
strike would have to have to come from "our side," or there would be
huge problems between the U.S. Libya
Oct. 15: In an interview with CBS News' Margaret
Brennan, Secretary Clinton first acknowledges that the State Dept. considered
using outside assets to rescue those under siege in Benghazi but decided
against it: "Well we considered everything and, um, we did as you know
send additional assets from Tripoli. But it was a fast moving, very difficult
assault to try to figure out. As you know, the assault on the post ended, there
was a gap of time, then the assault on the annex, um, so everybody who had any
responsibility was scrambling very hard to figure out what more could be
done."
Brennan: Why not send assets from outside of the country in
addition to those coming in from Tripoli
"She got the same information that everyone got and I
think she very clearly said here's what we know now but this is going to
change. This is what we have at present but it will evolve and the intelligence
community as said the same thing."
Oct 16: CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson and David Martin
confirm that unarmed Predator drones were moved to fly over Benghazi
Oct. 19: In the weeks before his death, Stevens sent the
State Department several requests for increased security for diplomats in Libya
Oct. 20: CBS News' Attkisson reports no outside U.S. Benghazi Sigonella ,
Italy
Oct. 23: CBS News' Attkisson obtains some of the
government's first internal emergency alerts sent during the assault.
"As the assault began, at 4:05p eastern time on
September 11, an alert from the State
Department Operations
Center Benghazi
Another alert an hour later reports: "the firing... has
stopped...A response team is on site attempting to locate COM personnel."
At 6:07 p.m. ET ,
an alert was sent with the subject heading "Ansar al-Sharia Claims
Responsibilty for Benghazi Attack." The Embassy in Tripoli midnight in Benghazi CIA
annex began.
Oct. 24: CBS News' Andres Triay confirms that government
investigators are in possession of footage from security cameras at the U.S.
CBS News' Margaret Brennan reports that the footage had been
in Libyan custody for "weeks" until it was handed over to U.S. Benghazi
CBS News' David Martin and Andres Triay confirm the arrest
of a Tunisian suspect in Turkey
Nov. 1: CBS News' Sharyl Attkisson reports that the
Obama administration did
not convene its top interagency counterterrorism resource - the
Counterterrorism Security Group - during the Benghazi
"The CSG is the one
group that's supposed to know what resources every agency has. They know of
multiple options and have the ability to coordinate counterterrorism assets
across all the agencies," a high-ranking government official told CBS
News. "They were not allowed to do their job. They were not called
upon."
As to why the Counterterrorism Security Group was not
convened, National Security Council Spokesman Tommy Vietor told CBS News:
"From the moment the President was briefed on the Benghazi CSG
were of course involved in these meetings and discussions to support their
bosses."
Attkisson also reported on a draft letter obtained by
ForeignPolicy.com, written the very day of the Benghazi attack, that someone on
the U.S. team in Benghazi apparently spotted
a suspicious member of the local police force photographing the inside
of the U.S. mission. The letter, intended for the head of the Libyan Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in Benghazi
Another draft letter written two days before complained of
an inadequate local police presence around the compound, requested ahead of
Stevens' visit.
Nov.8: Senate Intelligence Committee announces a closed
hearing on the Benghazi CIA Director
Gen. David Petraeus, FBI Deputy Director Sean Joyce, Under Secretary of State
Patrick Kennedy and National Counterterrorism Center Director Matthew Olsen.
Nov. 14: President Obama defends U.N. Ambassador Susan
Rice at the first press conference since his re-election, calling attacks on
her handling of the Benghazi
"If Senator McCain and Senator Graham and others want
to go after somebody, they should go after me," he said. "And I'm
happy to have that discussion with them. But for them to go after the U.N.
ambassador? Who had nothing to do with Benghazi
It is confirmed Petraeus is still scheduled to testify Nov.
16, despite his resignation from the CIA
amid news of an extramarital affair.
Nov. 15: CBS
News obtained the CIA talking
points given to U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice on Sept. 15 regarding the attack.
The CIA reports that the assault appeared to
be "spontaneously inspired" by the protests against the YouTube movie
and that "there are indications that extremists participated in the
violent demonstrations." The talking points also said the investigation as
ongoing and their assessment of the events from that night may change.
Lawmakers got their first look at video recorded by security
cameras at the consulate on the night of the attack. CBS
News' David Martin reports that a U.S.
Video of the second attack on a CIA
annex about a mile from the consulate shows a more organized assault. The first
attack created an opportunity for the second attack, but whether it was planned
that way all along is not clear.
Nov. 16: Former
CIA Director David Petraeus gave closed-door briefings to Congress on
the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Benghazi , Libya U.S.
After the hearing, Democrats and Republicans disputed
whether Petraeus has been consistent in his testimony, and whether the CIA
talking points on the attack were altered. The CIA
talking points are a source of controversy because U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice
used them to describe the nature of the attack on CBS' "Face the
Nation" and other shows on Sept. 16. Republicans have attacked Rice, who
is considered a possible nominee to replace Hillary Clinton as secretary of
state, for suggesting the attack was the result of spontaneous protests.
Nov. 27: U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice met with some
of her harshest critics on Capitol Hill, including Sen John McCain,
R-Ariz., and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., to explain her initial remarks on the
attack.
The meeting did not appear to resolve anything, with Graham
saying he was "more disturbed now than I was before," and McCain
saying he was "significantly troubled by many of the answers that we got
and some that we didn't get."
In a statement released after the meeting, Rice detailed her
meeting with the senators, and says she and CIA
Director Michael Morell "explained that the talking points provided by the
intelligence community, and the initial assessment upon which they were based,
were incorrect in a key respect: there was no protest or demonstration in
Benghazi."
"While we certainly wish that we had had perfect
information just days after the terrorist attack, as is often the case, the
intelligence assessment has evolved," she said. "We stressed that
neither I nor anyone else in the Administration intended to mislead the
American people at any stage in this process, and the Administration updated
Congress and the American people as our assessments evolved."
Dec. 5: One of the only known suspects held in the
attack on a U.S. Libya
Ali Harzi, a Tunisian, was detained in Turkey Tunisia
Dec. 11: It was revealed that
Senators were told at a closed-door hearing before the Intelligence Committee
that State Department personnel under attack on Sept. 11 at the U.S. Benghazi , Libya
According to a source who attended the hearing, committee
chairman Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., repeatedly pressed State Department
under secretary Patrick Kennedy on whether diplomatic security agents were
under instructions not to fire their weapons. Kennedy reportedly testified that
no such orders were given; but he confirmed that, indeed, no shots were fired
by State Department personnel.
Dec. 13: U.N. ambassador Susan Rice officially
withdrew her name from consideration to replace Hillary Clinton as
secretary of state, citing in a letter to President Obama the "lengthy,
disruptive and costly" nominating process she was sure to face if tapped
for the job -- a disruption she argued the nation "cannot afford."
Rice, who was considered a top contender for the position,
has been recently embroiled in ongoing controversy surrounding her account of Benghazi
Dec. 15: The State Dept. announced Secretary
of State Hillary Clinton will not testify before Congress on the Benghazi
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., chair of the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, released a statement expressing concern that testimony from
Thomas Nides and William Burns - the secretary's deputies who will take her
place - will not be sufficient.
Dec. 18: An independent
panel charged with investigating the deadly Sept. 11 attack in Libya U.S. Benghazi
"Systemic failures and leadership and management
deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department
resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi
The report
(PDF) singled out the Bureau of Diplomatic Security and the Bureau of
Near East Affairs, saying there appeared to be a lack of cooperation and
confusion over protection at the mission in Benghazi
Despite those failures, the Accountability Review Board
determined that no individual officials ignored or violated their duties and
recommended no disciplinary action now. But it also said poor performance by
senior managers should be grounds for disciplinary recommendations in the
future.
Dec. 19: Four State Department officials resignedafter
independent review of security lapses at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi
The State Department's chief of security Eric Boswell, his
deputy Charlene Lamb, an official in the Near East Division that oversees Libya
Career diplomat Thomas Pickering, who ran the review board
that produced the report, said: "Frankly, the State Department had not
given Benghazi
Dec. 20: State Department officials acknowledged
that "mistakes occurred"regarding the security situation in Libya
"We've learned some very hard, and painful lessons in Benghazi Benghazi
Burns and Thomas Nides, deputy secretary of state for
management and resources, testified before House and Senate committees about
what went wrong -- and what is being done going forward to prevent similar
breaches of security.
In their Senate testimonies, both Nides and Burns conceded
the department's mistakes on Benghazi
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