Barack Obama attended yet another fundraising party, this time in Las Vegas, while new reports indicate that Ambassador Chris Stevens was the target of an assassination by a Libyan group with ties to Al Qaeda. In fact, the protests and assaults on our embassy in Cairo and the consulate in Benghazi may have been part of a coordinated effort. While some attribute the protests due to a low-budget movie about the Prophet Mohammed, the fact that the assaults took place on 9/11 raises doubts. Al Qaeda leader, Ayman al-Zawahri had released a video of his own just before and his brother was seen as part of the mob outside the US embassy in Cairo. The video from al-Zawahri acknowledged the death of Libyan-born Abu Yahya al-Libi, the Number Two man of Al Qaeda, killed in a drone strike back in June. The group suspected to be involved in the Benghazi attack on our consulate is the Omar Abdul Rahman Brigade, which claimed responsibility of a bomb attack against our consulate just last month.

arab spring rage

A common thread between these groups is that they all subscribe to Salafism, a pro-Sunni school of Islam. Likewise, too, do the Muslim Brotherhood, which currently holds power in Egypt, as well as other groups involved in the Arab Spring revolts from Tunisia to Yemen. The Salafi are also growing in strength in Syria and have a pronounced presence in Algeria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Morocco, Suadi Arabia and amongst Palestinians.

As more reports come concerning the events of the protests and attacks of Tuesday, it appears that Americans were tipped off that trouble was brewing. The US embassy in Cairo issued its statement about the movie some nine hours before mobs began gathering outside its walls. Most of the staff had already been sent home for safety reasons. Despite the warnings, neither the Egyptian, nor Libyan governments (if Libya has a real government) acted to prevent the attacks. Nor did our own government increase security, even though it was the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Barack Obama and his administration completely failed in taking appropriate measures before any trouble had started. The death of Ambassador Chris Stevens, whose body, according to some reports, was dragged through the streets of Benghazi a la Somalia, was uncalled for and could have been avoided. The main US embassy in Libya is in Tripoli and there were no protests staged there on Tuesday. It would seem that given the sensitivity of the 9/11 anniversary, that all of our State Department staff should have been in secure locations. Now, the protesters, including the Muslim Brotherhood, have called for more demonstrations on Jihad Friday. Even today, reports of attacks on US embassies in many countries, including Yemen and Zambia, are taking place. The Arab Spring is far from over and showing its true colors and they are the same as Al Qaeda.