Counter-terrorism officials ID extremist groups in Benghazi attack

Posted on September 11, 2013 Updated on September 14, 2013

Published: Sept. 11, 2013 at 9:40 AM

WASHINGTON, Sept. 11 (UPI) — Several militant groups took part in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, U.S. counter-terrorism officials determined.

The officials identified numerous people involved – such as the extremist group Ansar al-Sharia — and have issued sealed indictments in recent months, but on the one-year anniversary there isn’t “anyone in custody who can tell us” specifics of the attack, a counter-terrorism official told The Washington Post in an interview published Tuesday.

“That is a huge gap,” said the official. “What we lack is a source of information that puts us where we need to be.”

The Benghazi attack — in which Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, and three other diplomatic employees died — still is a live issue for investigators and House Republicans conducting hearings on whether the Obama administration is covering up failures that occurred before, during and after the assault.

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