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9/11 hit eyed in murder of US envoy

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    U.S. officials increasingly suspicious that Libya strike was coordinated

  • Duration 4:21
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The former United States assistant secretary of state for public affairs PJ Crowley is with -- -- served as a special assistant to the president.

President Clinton for national security affairs.

PJ it it it feels as if this has this has just grown in importance.

And and and and over and overseas troubles.

Absolutely -- and I think we've recognized since the beginning of the Arab awakening that as countries go through.

Difficult transitions from.

Dictatorships.

Two two democracies that there might be opportunities for.

-- -- all tired out or sell -- -- elements that are sympathetic with al-Qaeda.

To take advantage of of this mayhem and it's certainly very plausible and that's what happened yesterday and in Gaza.

What we do know is that -- in the neighboring country there was what appeared to be of an almost completely on armed bunch.

They acted I heard one person described -- almost like school children in that the teacher would say you can't go past here.

One -- two of -- would try it they'd run under the grounds of the embassy and then they'd run back eventually one of them got the flag they did destroy anything and hurting thing and then just hours later.

A group of about twenty heavily armed what was described us as militants.

Go in and murder for people and those four people happen to -- just by happenstance.

Our ambassador in three security guards PJ if this was a targeted hit how would you.

Quantify such a thing if it were a targeted hit by a nation state.

That could be considered an act of war.

Well they say two things there's a difference between it Egypt and Libya Egypt went through -- relatively soft landing in terms of its transition.

-- went through a civil war.

Every political faction in Libya is heavily armed -- as as we know from the attack yesterday they had guns -- RPG's.

That's not necessarily what you see on the streets.

Of Cairo.

And we don't know all that we need to know about what happened yesterday but certainly.

This would be consistent with the struggle that we've been dealing with since 9/11.

A struggle against al-Qaeda either its formal affiliates.

Or sympathetic.

Supporters.

And we've recognized for a long time that Libby was more of those places where.

You know bin Laden had a number of -- of key lieutenants who came from Libya.

And that there was the potential that al-Qaeda or its sympathizers would take advantage of the transition from Qaddafi to a democratic government.

TJ this is from I believe this is from our correspondent Catherine Herridge.

Who is entered into our -- what we have our own wire service that -- there are journalists -- to serve each other.

So that we can put information and that our our -- journalists have gotten confirmed and this is.

Two intelligence officials not one source two source quote this looks -- very coordinated.

Like the big al-Qaeda attacks whereas we'd see in Iraq.

Catherine Herridge send -- out earlier about this wave of attacks the second wave of deadly force.

And they were prepared it appeared at least that in this instance where our envoy was murdered where ambassador was I don't know assassinated potentially.

That that those who were -- out this attack met with very little resistance.

Not to say that that the military which is control that country for decades is back in charge of the streets frankly it is it.

Yeah -- -- we certainly embassies have been attacked in the past al-Qaeda attacked our embassies in East Africa.

In 1998 so -- that they are very much are.

On al-Qaeda or other terrorists -- target lists.

I mean this is a post conflict society Libya everyone has weapons as I mentioned.

But also you have a new government we've been in power for weeks or a few months high and it does not yet have the strong -- two kids of government.

You -- was a police force.

Under Qaddafi in the police force was they are protected -- the now you have a police force that is being asked to protect civil society and got quite -- the -- even with the rings of security around the consulate.

-- did what Libby is a work in progress and it does not yet have all the capacity that it needs I think we we anticipated that these kinds of bad days.

It would happen in a place like Libyan tragically it took out our ambassador.

PJ Crowley formally -- the State Department with us from Capitol Hill --

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