Qualified US admission that Benghazi murders were a terrorist attack

National Counterterrorism Center Matthew Olsen admitted to a Senate panel Wednesday that the attack on the US mission in Benghazi and murder of four US diplomats headed by Ambassador Chris Stevens was “a terrorist attack.” He immediately qualified this by insisting it was not pre-planned but “an opportunistic attack” by “different elements including individuals who may have had connections to al Qaeda.” On Sept. 12, hours after the incident, DEBKAfile reported that the attack was premeditated and professionally executed by an al Qaeda group. Sept. 13, we named the group as Ansar al Shariah Brigade headed by Mohammad Ali al-Zahawy which is based in the eastern Libyan town of Derna.