Libyan president: Benghazi attack was a ‘preplanned act of terrorism’

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Libyan President Mohammed Magarief said the controversial film that mocked Islam's Prophet Muhammad and ignited protests throughout the Muslim world had "nothing to do" with the Sept. 11 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, and that he has "no doubt" it was an act of terrorism.

"It's a preplanned act of terrorism directed at American citizens," Magarief told NBC's Ann Curry in an interview that aired Wednesday. "Reaction should have been, if it was genuine, should have been six months earlier. So it was postponed until the 11th of September. They chose this date, 11th of September, to carry a certain message."

Magareif said the "high degree of accuracy" in which the attack was executed—with rocket-propelled grenades and mortar shells—is proof that the assault was preplanned, and not carried out by inexperienced protesters. He said he believes "al-Qaida elements" were involved but stopped short of directly accusing the terrorist group of planning it.

Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya, was among those killed in the attack, but Magareif said he did not know if Stevens was specifically targeted.

The Libyan leader said more than 40 people have been questioned in connection with the killings, but that it is too early to reveal the details of the ongoing investigation.

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