Above is the link to a New York Times "investigation" report into the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic facility in Benghazi, Libya. It's quite lengthy, but the general jist is that al-Qaeda had no role whatsoever in the attack (nor any international group; it was purely "local actors" in his words) and that a local militia leader, Abu Khattala, is to blame. It also says that the attack was not a pre-planned attack and that the anti-Islamic film did have a large role in instigating the attack. To be quite frank, the author of the investigation is wrong. To quote Thomas Joscelyn of The Long War Journal ([url=http://www.longwarjournal.org/threat-matrix/archives/2013/12/the_new_york_times_whitewashes.php]Here[/url]). [quote]Left out of the Times' account are the many leads tying the attackers to al Qaeda's international network.[/quote] One such lead is a man named Muhammad Jamal and his network (MJN). From the State Dept's designation of Muhammad as an international terrorist ([url=http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2013/10/215171.htm]here[/url]): [quote]Muhammad Jamal journeyed to Afghanistan in the late 1980s where he trained with al-Qa’ida (AQ) and learned how to construct bombs. Upon returning to Egypt in the 1990s, Muhammad Jamal became a top military commander and head of the operational wing of Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), then headed by AQ leader Ayman al-Zawahiri. Jamal has been arrested multiple times by Egyptian authorities for terrorist activities and was incarcerated for years in Egypt. Muhammad Jamal has developed connections with al-Qa’ida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), AQ senior leadership, and al-Qa’ida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) leadership including Nasir 'Abd-al-Karim 'Abdullah al-Wahishi and Qasim Yahya Mahdi al-Rimi.[/quote] The UN also designated Muhammad and the MJN as an international terrorist organization([url=http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2013/sc11154.doc.htm]here[/url]): [quote] QE.M.136.13 Name: MUHAMMAD JAMAL NETWORK (MJN) Name (original script): شبكة محمد جمال A.k.a.: a) Muhammad Jamal Group b) Jamal Network c) Abu Ahmed Group d) Al-Qaida in Egypt (AQE) F.k.a.: na Address: Operates in Egypt, Libya and Mali Listed on: 21 Oct. 2013 Other information: Terrorist and paramilitary group established by Muhammad Jamal al Kashif (QI.A.318.13) in 2011 and linked to Al-Qaida (QE.A.4.01), Aiman al-Zawahiri (QI.A.6.01), and the leadership of Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) (QE.A.129.10) and the Organization of Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) (QE.T.14.01). Funded and supported by AQAP. Multiple terrorist training camps in Egypt and Libya. Reportedly acquiring weapons, conducting training and establishing terrorist groups in the Sinai, Egypt. Training suicide bombers, foreign fighters and planning terrorist attacks in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere as of Sep. 2013. [b][u]MJN members were reported to be involved in the attack on the United States Mission in Benghazi, Libya, on 11 Sep. 2012.[/b][/u][/quote] But yet another lead is man named Faraj al-Shibli, as outlined [url=http://www.cnn.com/2013/03/14/world/africa/benghazi-attack-suspect/]here[/url]. To quote Thomas Joscelyn again (same link as before): [quote][Faraj] a Libyan who, according to US intelligence officials, served as Osama bin Laden's bodyguard during the 1990s. According to these same officials, al-Shibli is suspected of bringing materials from the Benghazi compound to senior al Qaeda leadership in Pakistan. Al-Shibli was detained in Pakistan and then Libya. Al Shibli did not immediately admit his involvement in the Benghazi attacks and was subsequently released. But US officials continue to believe he played a role[/quote] Interestingly enough, The New York Times have previously reported on "intelligence warnings from Islamic extremist groups" leading up to the events in Benghazi, as shown [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/30/world/middleeast/no-specific-warnings-in-benghazi-attack.html?_r=2&]here[/url]. The investigation also blames what it calls a "local" group called "Ansar al-Sharia", but that's simply arguing semantics. It's well known that Ansar al-Sharia is [url=http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/aq-libya-loc.pdf]another name for al-Qaeda in Libya[/url]. [url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/12/29/yes-there-is-evidence-linking-al-qaeda-to-benghazi.html]Here is another good article disagreeing with the "investigation"[/url]. To reiterate, there is a slew of evidence pointing towards al-Qaeda having a role in the attack. To say otherwise, in my opinion, is asinine. Your thoughts?