Libyan ambassador’s killing earlier in the week leads to US consulates being placed on high alert
Violent protests against the US in reaction to an amateur anti-Islam video have broken out in Egypt, Yemen and Libya and are spreading across the Middle East.
A rampage in Libya, allegedly part of the protests against the film Innocent Muslims, resulted in the death of the US Ambassador and three other Americans in the US consulate in Benghazi several days ago.
While the attacks were timed to coincide with the 11th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the militants also used the anti-film protests by Libyans to mask their campaign.
Security forces in the Egyptian capital Cairo have had to fire tear gas at about 500 protestors near the US embassy in the city as more demonstrations were scheduled for Friday.
While Islamist groups across the Middle East and North Africa have called for protests to be peaceful, incidents of violence are widespread and have forced security forces to resort to crowd control.
US president Barack Obama has promised all necessary action to protect American citizens abroad and has sought foreign governments to guarantee their security.
Meanwhile US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has condemned the film, calling it “disgusting and reprehensible” but also added that was there was, however, no justification for responding to the video violently, or for the protests to be directed especially towards diplomatic missions.
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