Benghazi warning signs coming to light as bombings and Facebook posts were red flags
Jihadists twice set off explosives at the consulate prior to the incident that killed Ambassador Chris Stevens, and announced threats on Facebook about escalating attacks on Western targets in the run-up to the 9/11 anniversary, according to whistleblowers reaching out to House Republicans.
President Barack Obama, followed by Army Chaplain Col. J. Wesley Smith and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, walks toward the podium during the transfer of remains ceremony on Joint Base Andrews, Md., Sept. 14, 2012, marking the return to the United States of the remains of the four Americans killed in Benghazi, Libya. White House photo by Pete Souza
In the five months leading up to the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, there were two bombings on the U.S. consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi. There were also an increasing number of threats to Libyans hired as security at the consulate in Benghazi as well as the American mission in Tripoli.
Neither bombing resulted in any casualties.
The first bombing occurred on April 6, 2012 in which two former Libyan security personnel threw homemade explosive devices over the wall. The second attack occurred on June 6, 2012 in which an explosive device blew a hole in the outer barrier big enough, according to reports, for forty men to get through.
Facebook was also used a means to warn the American intelligence community that a potential attack was in the making. On May 22, 2012, an attack on the International Committee of the Red Cross was publicized on Facebook as a warning for American interference in the skies over Derna, a possible reference to drones being used to attack high-value targets there.
Militant supporters of the late Moammar Gaddafi also posted a threat on Facebook directly to Ambassador Chris Stevens, referencing his morning jog route and posting pictures of the late ambassador.
The White House and State Departments have stated their intent on extensive investigations while even the families of the fallen have begun speaking out.
