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Benghazi, Murder Wasn’t the Plan
Benghazi, Murder Wasn’t the Plan
A Facts Based Hypothesis
Benghazi, Murder Wasn’t the Plan
A Facts Based Hypothesis
By John Daniels and Angela Wiltz
The Tavern Keepers Research Team
October 23, 2012
Introduction
When it comes to the details surrounding the brutal murders of American Ambassador Chris Stevens, Communications Specialist Sean Smith, former US navy special forces soldiers Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods, many of us cannot get past the nagging suspicion that there is something we aren’t being told…. a piece of the puzzle that hasn’t revealed itself; but what could it be? Basic common sense tells us that things don’t add up, like why was the consulate in Benghazi so poorly guarded? Even in the best of circumstances, most of us would acknowledge Libya is not a safe place for Americans, so why, as Paul Ryan asked during the Vice Presidential debates, would there be less security for our diplomatic envoy in Benghazi than for our envoy in a “safe” country such as France?
Beyond that we have to consider the optics of this attack, the theatrics if you will; an American ambassador, a communications officer and 2 former elite soldiers, killed on the 11th anniversary of September 11th. This is nothing short of a national tragedy, and based on the admitted facts, [such as insufficient security and lack of firearms] one that could have easily been avoided. We are the United States of America after all, and such things don’t happen to us. Didn’t we learn anything from the Iranian Embassy debacle of Carter Administration?
Without diving into what the administration said and when they said it, we know that they lied or at the very least were profoundly incompetent, even cavalier about the safety and lives of the Americans stationed in Benghazi. So, with this as an accepted truth let us move onto gut feelings and a story that was recently posted on the Western Center for Journalism website. From the get go the author of the article acknowledges that the story is hearsay, and we Tavern Keepers accept that as the foundation of the story; however, using this story as a starting point we decided to dig into the claims of the article. What were those claims? That,C.O. JONES, the author of the story received a call from a woman in Washington, a long-time friend, with high-level political connections in Washington. According to the friend,
“Barack Obama, wanting an “October Surprise,” had secretly arranged with the Muslim Brotherhood for a kidnapping of our ambassador. Then sometime in October before the election Obama was to orchestrate some great military action to rescue Ambassador Stevens, causing all of America to cheer Obama’s strong foreign policy and bravery and making him look like a hero.” http://tinyurl.com/cuz7bqd
WOW! What an absolutely stunning accusation! However, it is one that we here at the Tavern believe is deserving of further investigation. To that end we began doing some digging and have compiled a timeline of events based on the reporting from a variety of news sources that include CBS, FOX News, Reuters, the Daily Beast, etc., as well as various international outlets. The following is simply a hypothesis based on accounts we found in the aforementioned sources.
Ambassador Chris Stevens, Libyan Ambassador for the United States
How the Muslim Brotherhood Ended up Guarding our Consulate in Benghazi
Let us begin earlier this year when in March of 2012, as the conflict in Libya drew down, the State Department started to reduce the US security presence in Benghazi there to “normalize relations.” (http://tinyurl.com/8wujbyx)They chose to hire a small British firm called Blue Mountain Security. This was an odd choice, as almost no one seems to have heard of the firm prior to Benghazi, but it is speculated that they already have an imprint in the area and were therefore chosen out of expediency. (http://tinyurl.com/8ldvjxp) The firm ended up hiring members of the February 17th Martyrs Brigade to provide security for the consulate in Benghazi, a militia with ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The hiring process was described as “casual,” and at least one member of the security team stated that he had never held a gun before. They were not issued weapons, and were told that in the event of an attack they should radio for help in and run for cover. (http://tinyurl.com/9hy28d3)
Early attacks on the consulate
In May there is evidence of the State Department refusing increased security assets in the area as a request was turned down for a DC-3 aircraft for transportation of embassy staff due to security risks in the country. On June 6, an attack occurred on the consulate in Benghazi when an IED blew up a section of the perimeter wall “large enough for 40 men to go through.” (http://tinyurl.com/99wc23z).
The Blind Sheik
On June 24, Mohamed Morsi is elected the president of Egypt. On June 29 it is reported that he gave a speech stating he will do everything in his power to have the Blind Sheik released. (http://tinyurl.com/9vggzbg) If our speculation is correct, at some point around this time the White House secretly began discussions for an “October Surprise.” The Muslim Brotherhood, who was essentially already providing security for the Benghazi consulate, saw a target of opportunity through which the Blind Sheik could be released, Libya would fall further under their control, and their friend in the White House would be propelled to another 4 years in office.
At this time, the Muslim Brotherhood was already planning a movement that would begin in early September as a way of pushing through “anti-Islamophobia” legislation worldwide through outrage and unrest. With the help of an expatriate Egyptian Coptic Christian, The Innocence of Muslims is created and put on YouTube in early July. When pressed on his identity, the filmmaker claimed he was an Israeli-American who thought Islam was a cancer and had been funded by 100 Israeli donors. (http://tinyurl.com/9blgdpq) He had previously been involved in a drug ring that was raising funds for Hezbollah. (http://tinyurl.com/bse38qb)
Meetings are announced, extra security is denied
So, the convergence is coming together for September. On July 8, the White House announced it would have a face to face meeting with Morsi in September, when the Egyptian president would be in the United States at the UN anyway. This would be the perfect time for “clearer heads” to find a solution to the would-be crisis that would unfold on September 11, leading to the culmination of the Ambassador being released, the Sheik being sent to Egypt, and Obama delivering a stirring speech at the UN to end islamophobia. (http://tinyurl.com/7tbjtzg)
On July 9, Ambassador Stevens requested a minimum of 13 additional TDY security personnel. Obviously the request was denied or ignored. (http://tinyurl.com/9ly6vls)
More security leaves
On August 5th, The State Department decides not to keep the state security team in Libya and reduces the mobile security detachment. (http://tinyurl.com/8oe2xlg)
This essentially left the Muslim Brotherhood connected February 17th Martyr Brigade in charge of consulate security in Benghazi.
Early warnings of an attack
In the weeks leading up to September 11, the family members of the security guards at the embassy start to warn them that something is going to happen. There are also reports that an unnamed Libyan politician warned the commander of the local security of the coming attack and told them to stand down when it occurred. (http://tinyurl.com/crcyyrl)
At this point the plan was in place for Stevens to end up at an insecure consulate in an unstable country – an easy target for kidnapping. All the White House had to do was get Stevens to the embassy, which they do as part of his work to recover weapons the US had given to Libyan rebels before they can pass into the hands of terrorists. In this task he wasn’t very successful, as it has been reported that at least some of the weapons have ended up in the Sinai Peninsula in the hands of Al Qaeda (http://tinyurl.com/95dwffs) and possibly Syria. (http://tinyurl.com/8q8p8ll)
All clear on the Benghazi front?
On September 6, The State Department’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security Website states the following:
“OSAC currently has no credible information to suggest that al-Qa’ida or any other terrorist group is plotting any kind of attack overseas to coincide with the upcoming anniversary of September 11. However, constituents often have concerns around important dates, holidays, and major events. Often times these concerns are the result of increased media attention to the issue, rather than credible evidence of a terrorist plot.”
A statement that is completely absurd on face value. After the attacks the article is scrubbed from the site. (http://tinyurl.com/9levqvh)
The gears begin to turn
On September 8, portions of The Innocence of Muslims are aired on Egyptian television setting the stage and providing an explanation for the September 11th protests. (http://tinyurl.com/8fpg4po) On September 10, it came out that the Obama administration was putting together a $1 billion aid package for Egypt. It was also brought to light that Egypt wished to buy $1 billion in submarines from Germany. (http://tinyurl.com/9b35qv4). Perhaps this was either part of the ongoing deal, or an initial show that the United States and Egypt were forming close ties, the type that would be needed for allies to work through an “unexpected” crisis together.
On September 9, Dr. Sam Abdul Waris announces the formation of a coalition to fight against anti-Islamic speech. (http://tinyurl.com/9kmjx69) The coalition would push for the enforcement of blasphemy laws worldwide, and especially in the West. It would also “hold accountable” anyone who insults Islam locally or
internationally. (http://tinyurl.com/8oxanz2)
Botched kidnapping leads to murder
The Consulate Under Attack
This brings us to the date of the actual attacks. On September 11, a large protest forms at the Egyptian embassy that turns violent. The Innocence of Muslims is blamed as the catalyst for the video. (http://tinyurl.com/9dnnaoj) Also on September 11, Ambassador Stevens is in Benghazi, even though that area and the consulate itself have come under attack in the preceding months. He is there to meet with the Turkish Consul General for Benghazi, with the meeting taking place at the United States consulate and wrapping up in the early evening. Because of the late hour, Stevens decides to stay at the consulate for the evening. (http://tinyurl.com/8oe2xlg)
Why was Stevens meeting with the Turkish Consul General of Benghazi? It was reported in September that a large cache of 400 tons of weapons was shipped from Benghazi to Turkey in order to be given to Syrian rebels. (http://tinyurl.com/9ooxo4w) It is presumed that Stevens was sent to Benghazi for a meeting about these weapons.
Communications Specialist Sean Smith
The evening of September 11, two CIA agents who were in Benghazi decided to help with security at the consulate. One can make the assumption that they had heard the “buzz” about a potential attack and knew the consulate was vulnerable. They had a “safe house” roughly a mile away and were in the area hunting down weapons. (http://tinyurl.com/9j5c6oe). As a point of interest, according to Alex Gianturco, friend and fellow gamer of Sean Smith’s who was online with him when the attacks began, Smith made reference to a message earlier in the evening, “assuming we don’t die tonight” and noted that one of “our” police had been taking pictures of the compound. When the attack began, he sent an instant message to Gianturco, saying “fuck” and then “gunfire” before he was disconnected. What was that individual taking pictures of and why? (http://tinyurl.com/8m57qls)
Things Fall Apart
This becomes the downfall of the kidnapping plot. The agents, who were former Navy Seals, defend the consulate heroically when it is attacked. The kidnappers, who weren’t expecting much of a fight, ended up setting the embassy on fire in the attack, possibly to try to smoke the ambassador out and fulfill the kidnapping objective. Stevens, who was in a “safe room” that had no windows, died of smoke inhalation, as did Sean Smith. (http://tinyurl.com/8m57qls) While all of this was going on, a US drone was flying over the consulate, and Charlene Lamb herself testified in front of Congress that she was notified in real time via the Emanate Danger Notification System about the attacks on the Consulate as were the February 17th Brigade, the Embassy in Tripoli and the Diplomatic Security Command Center in Washington. (http://tinyurl.com/9yf55c6) It should be noted that according to Fox News reporting the CCTV cameras in the compound suffered very little damage, the walls had not been breached and there was no damage to the front gate. One could speculate that the reasons for this were that the terrorists hopped the gate and opened it from the other side as the Fox report suggests, or that someone on the inside opened the gate for them. With respect to the CCTV cameras, it is perhaps indicative of a group of people who were not concerned about their identities being known because they feared no ramifications.
Once it was determined that attempts to rescue Ambassador Stevens must be abandoned, the survivors fled the consulate for the safe house where they were to be rescued. The attackers knew of the safe house already, and pursued them all the way to it. Either they were out for blood, or they didn’t know that the ambassador was not part of the surviving group. (http://tinyurl.com/9j5c6oe)
President Obama responds on September 12, 2012
The Cover Up
Now the main players are left with quite a dilemma. Instead of a kidnapping, a US ambassador has been killed in a terrorist attack on September 11. The President’s first reported reaction was to go to bed. Does everyone remember Hillary’s 2008 campaign commercial about the 3:00 am wakeup call? This on face value seems cold, but it adds deniability for the President if the storyline is he was in bed when all of this was happening and didn’t find out about it until the next morning. He looks more suspicious if he’s in the situation room watching it happen in real time from the drone. (http://tinyurl.com/8z52pj8)
The White House claims there was a protest and blames the whole thing on The Innocence of Muslims. However, video evidence now debunks that a protest ever occurred. (http://tinyurl.com/9yf55c6) Frankly the story didn’t work very well from the start. Why would there be a protest at night in Benghazi, which unlike Cairo, is not a capital and not host to the main embassy. Also, while there are plenty of militias and such in Benghazi, most spontaneous protests don’t include laser guided weaponry. Perhaps the video was always meant to be the cover story for the kidnapping, but claiming that there was a spontaneous protest at the consulate became the fallback position when everything went awry.
President Obama is not happy with Egypt
On September 12, an obviously frustrated President Obama goes on Telemundo and states that Egypt is not an ally of the United States. One can only imagine that he wouldn’t be very happy with the Muslim Brotherhood run country at that moment in time. Instead of helping his re-election bid, they just gave him a huge international incident less than months before the general election. What isn’t clear is if Egypt had made it known that they still expected the delivery of the Blind Sheik. This evidently did occur, but during this period the Obama administration was looking at the possibility of sending the Sheik to Egypt to serve the rest of his life sentence. This was revealed by State Department officials who went to TheBlaze with the story, which was reported on September 17. (http://tinyurl.com/8qv2rqd)
The narrative begins to change
On September 19, CNN revealed that they had been on the ground in Benghazi after the attack and had found Steven’s diary. Also on the 19th, Counterterrorism Director Matt Olsen admitted before Congress that the attack was terrorist in nature. This contradicted the official stance which was that it was part of the protest. (http://tinyurl.com/93cry9o) On September 21, Hillary Clinton also stated that it was a terrorist attack.
The public turns against the militias
On September 21, anti-militia protests in Benghazi lead to two militias being driven out of their headquarters and the beginning of a large government crackdown on the groups. One of the main catalysts for this was the supposed involvement by the militias in the murder of Ambassador Stevens. (http://tinyurl.com/9t2a2wy) It’s very possible that the militias were involved in the attack and the Muslim Brotherhood had planned to use the event to start their initiative to drive the militias out of Libya and solidify government power.
The CIA is pulled out of Benghazi
On September 23 the New York Times has an article revealing that the CIA agents in Benghazi had been pulled out, along with other personnel. The move was described as a “catastrophic intelligence loss.” (http://tinyurl.com/8bcon43) It seems odd that the CIA, who obviously is skilled at operating in hostile environments, would be pulled out of the area. However, if the White House didn’t want them looking into the attack, it makes perfect sense. It would also explain why it took so long for the FBI to be allowed on scene. (http://tinyurl.com/8s9ergf)
A meeting is cancelled
On September 23, it was announced that the White House had cancelled the upcoming visit with Egyptian President Morsi. I would guess that relations weren’t very good between the two at that time, and Obama was already catching flak for cancelling his meeting with the Israeli Prime Minister. (http://tinyurl.com/bt2cegh)It’s very possible that there was blackmail in play and that the Muslim Brotherhood was threatening to expose the White House involvement unless the Sheik was released to them.
The UN speech
On September 25, President Obama went before the United Nations and stated that the unrest in the Middle East was due to The Innocence of Muslims. He also stated that insulting Islam should not be allowed. In this, he was doing his part in the push to ban “Islamophobic” speech. How very American to stand before the United Nations and promise to try to ban speech. Perhaps it was his legitimate feelings (it probably was), or perhaps it was an attempt to appease the Muslim Brotherhood since they now had him over a barrel. (http://tinyurl.com/8ec886d) Maybe it was both.
Morsi still wants the sheik
On September 27, Egyptian President Morsi stated that the Blind Sheik should be released to Egypt for humanitarian reasons, the same reason given to TheBlaze by State Department informants. (http://tinyurl.com/92bd4mo)Was this a public statement to the White House that they weren’t off the hook yet? Morsi has made promises to people that he will get the Blind Sheik released, probably the types of people who don’t take disappointment well. So, he expects the president to follow through even after all that has happened.
A counter offer?
On September 28, the White House announced that it was giving Egypt $450 million in emergency aid. (http://tinyurl.com/993kmfn) Perhaps this is “hush money” or perhaps this is an attempt to smooth things over until after the election when the Blind Sheik can be released with fewer political ramifications.
Conclusions… Draw Your Own
As we moved into October, the Obama administration, at all levels released a series of statements about the Benghazi attacks, each more incoherent than the last; but none actually clarified what took place on that tragic night; none offered a plausible explanation for the events in question or truly explained the role of State Department or the president.
While all we can do here at the Tavern is offer you the documented details and insert our own hypothesis, we do believe that we have proven one undeniable fact… there is still a great deal that the American people are not being told.
Is our theory conspiratorial? Absolutely; but for the first time since this all began, the puzzle pieces do start to fall into place. And who can say every conspiracy theory is wrong? What’s not conspiratorial however is the actions and statements of our highest ranking officials make little to no sense, unless they have something to hide.
Sadly, this hypothesis based on the available facts seems to ring most true. As the author of the original article,C.O. JONES wrote, “This scenario, if true, more than satisfies my common sense gland.”







