Deadly U.S. consulate attack in Libya possibly planned

U.S. officials are investigating whether the attack in Benghazi that killed the American ambassador to Libya and three other diplomats was planned, as two warships sent by the Pentagon sailed towards the North African nation's coast.

U.S. President Barack Obama condemned the deadly assault on the U.S. consulate in theeastern Libyan city, saying that "no acts of terror" would shakeAmerica's resolve.

Chris Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was among the four Americans slain in Tuesday's fiery assault. The other victims were consulate staffers.

"Make no mistakejustice will be done," Obama said Wednesday in a brief statement outside the White House, alongside Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. "We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others. But there is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence. None."

In remarks about Stevens, Obamacharacterizedthe ambassadoras a model diplomat who was passionate aboutseeing a new, democraticLibya.

"It's especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi because it is a city that hehelped to save at the height of the Libyan revolution," the president said.

Hours after his remarks, U.S. officials told The Associated Press that the Pentagon had dispatched two destroyers both of which carry Tomahawk missilesto move towards Libya. The USS Laboon was stationed off the coast on Wednesday while the USS McFaul was due to arrive within days.

The warships don't have a specific mission, officials said, although they were standing by to respond to orders from the president. Theofficials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss troop movements.

In the meantime, Obamahas instructed U.S. diplomatic missions around the world toboost their security.

The consulate attack was reportedly carried out by Libyans outraged by an amateurU.S. film that ridicules the Prophet Muhammad. However, U.S. investigators are reportedly probingwhether anarmed extremist group may have been to blame.

Henry Crumpton, a former deputy directorfor the CIA's Counter-TerrorismCenter,toldthe CBC's Evan Solomon on Power & Politicsthat theattacks in Benghazi appear to bear the hallmarks of an organizedmilitant networksuch as al-Qaeda.

"I don't know who was behind the attack, but it certainly hasthe signature of an attack that required some planning, some preparation, and it was obviously executed with a deadly and horrible precision," he said.

Crumpton said that the circumstances behind the violence including the target and the significance of the date of the attackswould raise suspicions in intelligence circles. The violence erupted 11 years after the Sept. 11, 2001, co-ordinated attacks on the U.S.

'As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi. He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation.' U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton

Attacking a "hard target" such as an official U.S. installation in a foreign country would require careful planning, he said.

"Particularly for a country like Libya, where there has been recent hostilities, and on a daythe anniversary of 9/11 clearly I think that this required some type of surveillance, some typeof planning, preparation and then the execution," he said.

Crumpton said it can't be ruled out that theinflammatory anti-Islam film was being used as a convenient "excuse" or "perverted justification" for the attack.

An American counterterrorism official also told The Associated Press that the events that transpiredTuesday night at theBenghazi consulate were "too co-ordinated or professional to be spontaneous."

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident publicly.

Attack may have been planned

The White House alsobelieves that Stevens may have been killed in a premeditated attack, rather thana spontaneous protest that turned violent, the New York Times reported.

The newspaper cited unnamed American officials saying they have been comparing a protest in Cairo on Tuesday with the event that took place in Benghazi, where participants appeared to be armed.

Libya's deputy UN ambassador, Ibrahim Dabbashi, blamed "an extremist group" for the diplomats' deaths, which he said "in no way serves the interests of the people or the Libyan authorities, and cannot be considered a defence of Islam."

The U.S. plans to use unmanned surveillance drones to search for militant camps and other targets in eastern Libya that could be linked to the consulate attack, CNN reported.

The State Departmentidentified one of the other slain Americans asinformation management officerSean Smith, a married father of two and a 10-year veteran of the U.S. Foreign Service.

The Associated Press, citing anonymous sources, said 50 marines will be sent to Libya to beef up security at the diplomatic posts in the country.

There were conflicting reports of the circumstancessurrounding thedeaths Tuesday night. Al-Jazeera reported Stevens died of smoke inhalation after a mob attacked the consulate and set it on fire. Reuters, citing an unnamed Libyan official, said the four Americans diedafter militants fired rockets at their car in Benghazi.

Stevens and three other employees of the U.S. Embassy in Libya went to the consulate in Benghazi in an attempt to get staff to safety after the building came under attack, The Associated Press reported.

'Friend of Libya' killed

Clinton said Wednesday the attack was carried out by a "small but savage" group, noting that other Libyans carried Stevens'sbody to the hospital and helped other Americans to safety.She said the U.S.-Libyan friendship will not be a casualty of the violence.

Meanwhile Libya's deputy prime minister, Mustafa Bushagar, condemned on Twitter what he called "the cowardly act ofattacking the U.S. consulate and the killing of Mr. Stevens and the other diplomats."

"Ambassador Stevens was a friend of Libya and we are shocked at the attacks on the US consulate in Benghazi," Bushagar said. "I condemn these barbaric acts in the strongest possible terms. This is an attack on America, Libya and free people everywhere."

• Reaction to U.S. Consulate attack

Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird described the attack as "senseless" andcalled onLibyan authorities "to take all necessary measures to protect diplomatic premises in accordance with Libya's international obligations."

"We also urge Libyan officials to ensure the extremists responsible are brought to swift justice," Baird said in a statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also sent his condolences to the families of the American victims, calling the death of Stevens a "tragic murder."

Filmmaker in hiding

Aman who identified himself to The Associated Press as an "Israeli Jew" and California filmmaker named Sam Bacile is at the centre of the outrage that may have prompted the attacks, aftera trailer featuring scenes from a two-hour movie, titled Innocence of Muslims, was posted online.

TheYouTube videodepicts the Prophet Muhammad as a fraud, womanizer and madman in an overtly ridiculing way, showing him having sex and calling for massacres.

• Prophet Muhammad film blamed for deadly Libya attack

A 14-minute film trailerwas posted onYouTube in English, and a second version dubbed into Egyptian Arabic was added later. YouTube said it would not remove the video from its website. But it has blocked the video in Egypt, where anger over the film touched off protestsTuesdaythat saw crowds scale the walls of the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, pull down theAmerican flag and replace it with anIslamic banner.

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The attacks were said to be the first on American diplomatic posts in either Libya or Egypt.

In Tunisia, Reuters reported Wednesday that policefired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters near the U.S. Embassy. About 50 people were said to have burned and trampledAmerican flagsin protest over the film.

Reuters reported the government of Afghanistan had banned the YouTube site to prevent Afghans from seeing the video that led to the violence in Libya and Egypt.

Praised byClinton

Stevens, 52,has becomethe fifth U.S. ambassador killedwhile on duty, and the first since Adolph Dubs was killed in Afghanistan in 1979.

A career diplomat, Stevens took over as U.S. ambassador to Libya in May. He hadpreviously served two diplomatic postings in Libya, including a stint in Benghazi during the revolt that brought down former ruler Moammar Gadhafi.

Clinton said Stevens "fell in love" with the Middle East while teaching English in Morocco.

"I had the privilege of swearing in Chris for his post in Libya only a few months ago," Clinton said.

"He spoke eloquently about his passion for service, for diplomacy and for the Libyan people.As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi. He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation."