Attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi

2012 Benghazi attack
Part of the Inter-civil war violence in Libya
From top to bottom, and left to right: President, Vice President updated on situation night of September 11, 2012; Obama, with Secretary Clinton, delivering statement in the Rose Garden, September 12, 2012; two photographs released through a FOIA request; Secretary Clinton testifying before the Senate Committee on January 23, 2013; portion of "wanted" poster seeking information on the attacks in Benghazi.
Location	Benghazi, Libya
Date	September 11–12, 2012 21:40 – 04:15 EET (UTC+02:00)
Target	United States consulate and CIA annex
Attack type	Coordinated attack, armed assault, rioting, arson
Weapons	Rocket-propelled grenades, hand grenades, assault rifles, 14.5 mm anti-aircraft machine guns, truck mounted artillery, diesel canisters, mortars
Deaths	US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens; USFS officer Sean Smith; CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty; Libyan attackers
Non-fatal injuries	4 Americans, 7 Libyans
Suspected perpetrators	Brigades of the Imprisoned Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman;Ansar al-Sharia;Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb;Al Qaeda in Iraq;Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula

The 2012 Benghazi attack that September was coordinated against two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya by members of the Islamic militant group Ansar al-Sharia.

At 9:40 p.m., September 11, members of Ansar al-Sharia attacked the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi resulting in the deaths of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and U.S. Foreign Service Information Management Officer Sean Smith. Stevens was the first U.S. ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979.

At around 4:00 a.m. on September 12, the group launched a mortar attack against a CIA annex approximately one mile (1.6 km) away, killing CIA contractors Tyrone S. Woods and Glen Doherty and wounding ten others. At the behest of the CIA, top U.S. officials initially described the attacks as the results of a spontaneous protest triggered by recently released anti-Muslim video, Innocence of Muslims. Subsequent investigations showed that the attack was premeditated – although rioters and looters not acting with the group may have later joined in after the attacks begun.

The National Review later labeled the attack Battle of Benghazi, a name that has since been used to refer to the attacks by several media outlets. There is no definitive evidence that al-Qaeda or any other international terrorist organization participated in the Benghazi attack. The United States immediately increased security worldwide at diplomatic and military facilities and began investigating the Benghazi attack. Many Libyans have condemned the attacks. They staged public demonstrations condemning Ansar Al-Sharia, which had been formed during the 2011 Libyan civil war in opposition to leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.