A letter from inside the Benghazi consulate, written the morning of Sept 11, 2012, indicates the small contingent of security forces within the compound were concerned that Libyan police were mapping the consulate for the attackers who would come.
There is no hint that those behind the letter thought the attack would come that very day, only that they feared the consulate’s lay-out was being mapped for someone who might be planning an attack.
According to the letter, which still lies on the floor of the consulate, “a member of the police force was seen in the upper level of a building across from [the] compound.” From his high perch, the police officer was taking photos of the inside of the consulate compound.
Making matters worse, the policeman-turned-photographer was one of the officers assigned to protect the consulate.
This brings to mind the myriad claims that the Libyans working security at the consulate ended up stepping out of the way when the attackers came in for Ambassador Stevens.
Libyan Interior Minister Wanis al-Sharif has consistently claimed that those assigned to guard the consulate essentially handed Stevens over to the attackers.
U.S. IT Officer Sean Smith, who was killed in the Benghazi attack, sent this message before he died: “We saw one of our ‘police’ that guard the compound taking pictures.”
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