Angry protesters attacked U.S. diplomatic
compounds in Libya and Egypt on Tuesday, citing in both instances an online
film considered offensive to Islam.
In Cairo, several men scaled the walls of
the U.S. Embassy and tore down its American flag, according to CNN producer
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy, who was on the scene.
In Libya, witnesses say members of a
radical Islamist group called Ansar al-Sharia protested near the U.S. Consulate
in Benghazi, where NATO jets established no-fly zones last year to blunt ground
attacks from then Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi.
The group then clashed with security forces
in the city, blocking roads leading to the consulate, witnesses said.
The Libyan government notified the United
States that an employee at the U.S. Consulate was killed, a State Department
official told CNN.
The State Department does not have independent
confirmation of the death, the official said. The nationality of the worker was
not immediately known.
Libya's General National Conference
condemned the attack, saying it "led to the regrettable injury and death
of a number of individuals." Lawmakers said in a statement Tuesday night
that they were investigating.
It was unclear whether the two attacks were
coordinated, CNN national security contributor Fran Townsend said Tuesday
night.
"One such breach of an embassy or
consulate's walls or security on any given day would be tremendous news. ...
The fact that two of them happened on the same day that is the 9/11 anniversary
where Americans are remembering those that we lost, you have to ask yourself,
what are American officials trying to understand about this and whether or not
these two are related?" she asked.
In Egypt, police and army personnel formed
defensive lines around the U.S. Embassy in an effort to prevent demonstrators
from advancing, but not before the protesters affixed a black flag atop a ladder
in the American compound.
The black flag, which hangs in full view
from inside the complex, is adorned with white characters that read,
"There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his messenger," an emblem
often used by Islamic radicals.
A volley of warning shots were fired as a
large crowd gathered around the compound, although it is not clear who fired
the shots.
Egyptian groups point to U.S. websites,
including YouTube, that have scenes from the film. Some anti-Muslim blogs also
have flagged the movie.
In a series of disjointed scenes,
filmmakers depict Prophet Mohammed as a child molester, womanizer and ruthless killer.
Most of the Muslim world considers
depictions of Mohammed to be blasphemous and deeply offensive.
It was not clear late Tuesday who produced
the film and under what auspices.
Embassy officials issued a warning to
Americans in Egypt, telling them to avoid the demonstrations which "may
gather in front of the U.S. Embassy, or Egyptian government buildings such as
the People's Assembly and Ministry of Interior."
"It is unclear if large numbers will
take to the streets, but clashes may occur should two opposing groups come into
contact with one another," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.
"Large gatherings and non-essential travel in and around downtown and
Garden City should be avoided this afternoon."
Frenzied protesters could been seen Tuesday
afternoon holding up bits of a shredded American flag to television camera
crews while chanting anti-U.S. slogans.
An embassy phone operator told CNN that the
compound had been cleared of diplomatic personnel earlier in the day, ahead of
the apparent threat, while Egyptian riot police and the army were called in.
"This is an expression of a feeling
that is thought to be an insult," said Nizih El Naggary, a spokesman for
the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. "But events like this are extremely
deplorable. And we have to work to get things under control."
The Foreign Ministry issued a statement
Tuesday, pledging to protect embassies and warning of the protests' potentially
debilitating effects on the Egyptian economy.
"There are police forces at the
demonstrations," El Naggary said. "They should be protecting the
embassy and asking people to leave."
Several individuals claimed responsibility
for organizing the demonstrations Tuesday, including Salafist leader Wesam
Abdel-Wareth, who is president of Egypt's conservative Hekma television
channel.
Mohamed al-Zawahiri -- the brother of al
Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri -- added, "We called for the peaceful
protest joined by different Islamic factions including the Islamicc Jihad (and
the) Hazem Abu Ismael movement."
"We were surprised to see the big
numbers show up, including the soccer Ultra fans," he said. "I just
want to say, how would the Americans feel if films insulting leading Christian
figures like the pope or historical figures like Abraham Lincoln were produced?"
He added that "the film portrays the
prophet in a very ugly manner, alluding to topics like sex, which is not
acceptable."
The U.S. Embassy in Cairo announced that it
had canceled visa services for Wednesday.
It also said in a statement that it
"condemns the continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the
religious feelings of Muslims -- as we condemn efforts to offend believers of
all religions."
"Respect for religious beliefs is a
cornerstone of American democracy," the statement said. "We firmly
reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to
hurt the religious beliefs of others."
Demonstrations elicited a mixture of
reactions from the Egyptian street, where last year tens of thousands turned
out in opposition to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
This summer, Egypt's first Islamist
president, Mohamed Morsy, was sworn into power at Tahrir Square, the scene of
the nation's revolution in 2011.
Though Tuesday's embassy protests are the
first that Morsy has dealt with, Egypt recently produced similar scenarios when
protesters attacked the Israeli and Syrian embassies in unrelated episodes.
"These protests are a bad image for
Egypt," said a Cairo street vendor named Ahmed. "Of course I'm
against insulting Islam, but it's the undereducated, poor people who are out
here causing problems."
"All I want for Egypt is security and
stability," he said. "And as you can see this isn't it."
The incident occurred on the 11th
anniversary of the 9/11 attacks as crowds gathered across the United States in
somber remembrance of a day that left nearly 3,000 people dead.
Tuesday's focus on the controversial film
also drew comparisons to outcry generated from a 2008 movie produced by an
anti-Muslim Dutch lawmaker, which then sought to portray Islam as a violent
religion.
Geert Wilders' film "Fitna,"
which he released online, featured images of terrorist acts superimposed over
verses from the Quran.
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