Libya killings turn up heat in Washington

Published on 06/10/2012 00:00

REPORTS of the arrest in Turkey of two Tunisians suspected of being part of the attack on the US consulate in Libya has turned the spotlight on the Obama
administration, and what it will do to bring the killers to justice.

Libyan authorities have
arrested eight suspects from the attack that overran the Benghazi consulate, leading to the death of the American ambassador, Chris Stevens, last month.

However, the Libyan authorities have yet to signal whether they will press ahead with a prosecution, and that is unlikely without substantial pressure from Washington.

More than three weeks after the attack, crime-scene tape has yet to go up on the abandoned consulate compound, with journalists and sight-seers free to wander the site, contaminating the evidence.

In Washington, the lack of protection afforded to the Benghazi diplomats, despite six months of jihadist attacks on foreign missions in the city, has become a key election issue.

Ahead of a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Republicans have repeated claims diplomats in Benghazi were denied the protection they requested.