Grim news:
The U.S. ambassador to Libya died as Libya militants stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi.
The death of Christopher Stevens, 52, on Tuesday came as two American State Department employees were also killed in Benghazi as an 20 gun-wielding attackers stormed the U.S. consulate, angry about an American made film that depicts Prophet Mohammad as a fraud and womanizer.
Stevens, who was a career member of the Senior Foreign Service and served two tours of duty in Libya, was nominated by President Obama to be ambassador to Libya early this year. His term of appointment as ambassador to Libya began on May 22.
Anger over the film that some believe insults the Prophet Muhammad also provoked protests in Cairo Tuesday, where demonstrators climbed the walls of the U.S. embassy, took down the American flagand replaced it with a black flag.
A senior U.S. senior official told ABC News they are on alert throughout the region and fear there could be more attacks to come. One of the American State Department employees likely died of smoke inhalation Tuesday from the fire at the consulate, according to the U.S official.
The death of the second employee was confirmed Wednesday, according to the U.S. official. There is no word yet on how that employee died.
There were about 20 attackers with small arms who stormed the consulate. There was a firefight with Libyan security officers guarding the consulate, according to the U.S. official. One of the buildings was completely destroyed by fire set by the militants.
The group that attacked the consulate is called Ansar al Sharia, according to Libyan sources. The group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but did not mention the movie as motivation. The group is close to al Qaeda ideology and exists in east Libya.
This video of Ambassador Stevens introducing himself to Libya, full of idealism about the future, now makes for painful viewing:
