- The 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic facility killed four Americans
- It has become a political flashpoint over security preparations, intelligence, response
- Senate committee report notes 15 people cooperating with FBI probe were killed
- Also, people with al Qaeda-related groups participated in the armed assault
(CNN) — The deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, was “likely preventable” based on known security shortfalls and prior warnings that the security situation there was deteriorating, the majority of the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded in a report released on Wednesday.
Separately, the findings also noted what the FBI had told the panel — that 15 people cooperating with its investigation had been killed in Benghazi, undercutting the investigation. It was not clear if the killings were related to the probe.
Moreover, it said that people linked with various al Qaeda-related groups in North Africa and elsewhere participated in the September 11, 2012, attack, but investigators haven’t been able to determine whether any one group was in command.
The report placed some blame for the outcome on the State Department, saying it should have “increased its security posture more significantly” in Libya’s second-largest city because of general warnings that U.S. personnel were at risk.
The intelligence community “provided ample strategic warning” that Americans and U.S. facilities were in danger, though it didn’t offer a single warning that would have predicted the Benghazi attack that killed U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three other Americans, the report said.
But the findings didn’t spare the intelligence community, saying it might have flagged potential threats to the compound had it done more analysis of “extremist-affiliated social media.”
It also blasted U.S. intelligence for inaccurately reporting — without “sufficient intelligence to corroborate it” — that a protest might have led to the attack.
The report said the intelligence community took too long to correct the erroneous reports, “which caused confusion and influenced the public statements of policymakers.”
The Obama administration initially believed the armed assault was triggered by outrage over a U.S.-produced anti-Muslim film. It has since classified it as an organized terror attack.
Investigators haven’t found evidence of pre-planning and suggest at least part of the attack was “opportunistic.”
That suggests a vulnerability for diplomatic facilities, because attacks can happen with little warning, the report said.
Questions around security and intelligence as well as the slow-to-evolve and changing explanation fueled a ferocious response from Republicans in Congress, who have sharply criticized the administration and continue to investigate.
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