Yemen protesters storm US embassy - as it happened

This article is more than 11 years old
Second night of protests in Cairo ends in violence
Four killed in clashes at US embassy in Yemen
Tributes paid to 'model diplomat' Chris Stevens

Read the latest summary
A Yemeni protester burns a US flag as others storm the US embassy in Sana'a during a protest against a film deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed.
A Yemeni protester burns a US flag as others storm the US embassy in Sana'a during a protest against a film deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

Summary

We're going to wrap up our live blog for the day. Here's a summary of this afternoon's developments:

Clashes continued outside the US embassy and Cairo, where police used tear gas on youths who many reports said did not appear to be affiliated with a political party or movement.

Four protesters died and dozens of protesters and guards were injured in clashes outside the US embassy in Yemen.

Libya announced four arrests in the attack on the US diplomatic outpost in Benghazi. The alleged role of the arrestees in the attack was unknown.

A former Navy Seal working as a private security contractor was identified as one of four Americans to be killed in the Benghazi attack, along with Ambassador Chris Stevens, technician Sean Smith and an as-yet unidentified fourth US citizen.

The White House sought to clarify remarks by President Obama Wednesday that Egypt was neither an ally nor an enemy of the United States. A spokesman said Egypt was a "close partner" with the US and there has been no shift in the relationship.

US authorities identified Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, as the filmmaker behind the incendiary video tied to the embassy violence. Nakoula, whose whereabouts were unknown, had earlier denied playing a central role in the production of the film.

In its English-language Twitter feed, the Muslim Brotherhood expressed its concern for members of the US diplomatic corps, but the Brotherhood separately put out calls for a large rally on Friday to protest the anti-Islamic film. It was unclear whether the rally would come together.

US embassy posts Sean Smith tribute

The U.S. Embassy in The Hague has posted a tribute to Sean Smith, killed in Benghazi:

The U.S. Embassy in The Hague mourns the loss of treasured colleague and friend Sean Smith. Sean died in the recent attacks on the U.S. Diplomatic Mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Sean was a valued and dedicated employee of our Embassy and volunteered for a short-term assignment in Libya.

The Embassy staff sends its condolences to wife Heather, daughter Samantha and son Nathan and the rest of his family.

We will miss him. 

Sean Smith
Sean Smith. Photo: State Dept. Photograph: State Dept.

(h/t: @vmsalama)

Clashes outside US embassy in Cairo continue

Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew)

Security forces take simon boliver square again, charging around in #csf trucks. This won't end anytime soon. #Tahrir

September 13, 2012
Zeinobia (@Zeinobia)

Oh god the smell of tear gas grenades reaches Nile corniche suffocating #USembassy

September 13, 2012
Tarek Nasr (@TarekNasr360)

The fact that the situation at the US Embassy has been allowed to escalate to this proportion is ridiculous; govt has to be held accountable

September 13, 2012

Yemeni officials say 4 protesters killed in clashes outside embassy

Four protesters were killed and 11 were injured in clashes Thursday outside the US embassy in Sana'a, according to Yemeni security officials. Twenty-four security guards also were reportedly injured.

CNN reports:

Protesters and witnesses said one protester was critically injured when police fired on them as they tried to disperse the angry crowd

[...]

As evening came, the number of protesters dwindled and tensions began to ease, after a day in which demonstrators breached a security wall and stormed the embassy amid escalating anti-American sentiment.

No embassy personnel were harmed, U.S. officials said.

Third American fatality in Libya identified as former Navy Seal

A former Navy Seal working as a private security contractor was one of three Americans killed with Ambassador Chris Stevens in the attack in Benghazi.

Glen Doherty, 42, a Massachusetts native, "was on security detail and he was protecting the ambassador and also helping the wounded’’ when he was killed, according to his sister, Katie Quigly, who spoke to the Boston Globe.

Doherty was interviewed last month by ABC News about his work in Syria. He said he had been hired by the state department to try to locate and destroy shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles, known as MANPADS, that spread through the country during the war to overthrow Moammar Gadhafi. 

Doherty said that he traveled throughout Libya chasing reports of the weapons and once they were found, his team would destroy them on the spot by bashing them with hammers or repeatedly running them over with their vehicles. When ABC News spoke to Doherty in late August, he was enjoying a short time off in California before heading back to Libya just days ago.

The State Department declined to comment on Doherty's involvement in the MANPADS program, but pointed to a previous statement from State Assistant Secretary for Political-Military Affairs Andrew Shapiro in which he said the department was looking at "every possible tool to mitigate the threat."

Libya reports arrests in Benghazi attack

Earlier today reports from Libya - including from Hisham Matar in the New Yorker - said Benghazi residents were infuriated that the government in Tripoli had not yet dispatched investigators in the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens and three colleagues. The United States announced it would undertake its own investigation, but agents are still en route.

Now Libya has announced arrests in the case, Christiane Amanpour reports. It was unclear how the arrestees were allegedly involved in the attacks or how many suspects there are.

CNN Natl Security (@natlsecuritycnn)

Libya's PM tells @camanpour that those arrested in the Benghazi investigation are all Libyans

September 13, 2012

Reuters adds to the report:

Libyan authorities have made four arrests in the investigation into the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi in which the U.S. ambassador and three embassy staff were killed, the deputy interior minister said on Thursday.

"Four men are in custody and we are interrogating them because they are suspected of helping instigate the events at the U.S. consulate," Wanis Sharif told Reuters.

(h/t: Politico)

No sign of filmmaker Nakoula, who may have violated probation

My colleague Rory Carroll reports from Los Angeles on the scene outside the home of the "Innocence of Muslims" creator:

Television cameras are staking out Nakoula Basseley Nakoula's house in Cerros, just outside LA, but no sign of the one-time financial fraudster and occasional blasphemous movie director. Reporters are taking bets on whether he's at home.

If Nakoula breached terms of his 2010 conviction – he pleaded no contest to federal bank fraud charges – which included not using computers or the internet for five years without approval from his parole officer, the police sent to protect him could end up arresting him.

As if this story did not have enough elements there is now a gay porn footnote, courtesy of Tim Dax, a muscle-bound adult film actor who, it turns out, was part of the cast of Innocence of Muslims.

In an emailed statement to the blog joemygod, Dax said he thought it was about ancient warriors and called Desert Storm. He worked for a week and a half for $75 a day. I'm am very much NOT anti-Muslim,” he stressed.

Nakoula has been identified as Coptic Christian. Bishop Serapion, head of the Coptic diocese in southern California, told me the Coptic diaspora had fled persecution in Egypt but would not, and should not, support the ant-Islamic film. "They mock our faith, they insult our Bible but we feel this is not the right way to respond," Serapion said.

A fight to end the fighting at US embassy in Cairo

The journalist and author Ashraf Khalil is at the scene of clashes outside the US embassy in Cairo. The scene he paints muddies a bit the picture of who's enraged at whom:

ashraf khalil (@ashrafkhalil)

Just witnessed a dozen incredibly brave civilians step BETWEEN rocks throwers & riot police to defuse things--1 of them a munaqaba woman!!

September 13, 2012
ashraf khalil (@ashrafkhalil)

Islamists here on the scene areones trying to defuse things. In some cases acting as human shields 4 police getting pelted by rocks #Egypt

September 13, 2012
ashraf khalil (@ashrafkhalil)

@abuaardvark @arabist angry hotheads who hate the police. No ideology that I can discern

September 13, 2012

Clinton: 'We do not stop individuals from expressing their views'

Here is video of Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the anti-Islam video tied to the violence at US diplomatic outposts.

"To us, to me personally, this video is disgusting and reprehensible. It appears to have a deeply cynical purpose: to denigrate a great religion and to provoke rage. But as I said yesterday, there is no justification, none at all, for responding to this video with violence."

[...]

"We do not stop individual citizens from expressing their views, no matter how distasteful they may be."

Protesters, police clash outside US embassy in Cairo; many injured

Clashes between protesters and police outside the US embassy in Cairo have left hundreds injured, according to the health ministry, which last put the number of injured at 224.

Video of the clashes can be viewed here.

Dalia Ezzat (@DaliaEzzat_)

Stunning photography from the clashes around the US Embassy in Cairo by @mosaaberizing flickr.com/photos/mosaabe…

September 13, 2012
Cairo flickr
Photographs of clashes outside the US embassy in Cairo by @mosaaberizing. Photograph: Flickr

Multiple media observers have commented on the seeming eagerness of the protesters to engage police.

Menna منّة(@TheMiinz)

.@sarahcarr Some were for the prophet, majority just wanted a fight with the police.

September 13, 2012

White House expands on Obama 'ally' comment: Egypt is 'close partner'

A White House spokesman has elaborated on President Obama's statement Wednesday night that the United States considers Egypt neither ally nor enemy.

The US relationship with the government of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi is a "work in progress," Obama said in a interview with Univison. "I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy. They're a new government that is trying to find its way. They were democratically elected. I think that we are going to have to see how they respond to this incident."

White House spokesman now tells Foreign Policy that the president was not signaling any change of status in the relationship since the fall of President Hosni Mubarak.

"I think folks are reading way too much into this," spokesman Tommy Vietor said. "‘Ally' is a legal term of art. We don't have a mutual defense treaty with Egypt like we do with our NATO allies. But as the president has said, Egypt is longstanding and close partner of the United States, and we have built on that foundation by supporting Egypt's transition to democracy and working with the new government."

How the attack on the US outpost in Benghazi unfolded

Our multi-media team has produced an interactive guide illustrating how the attack on the US diplomatic outpost in Benghazi unfolded. View it here.

From the Guardian's interactive guide to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the US diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya.
From the Guardian's interactive guide to the Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the US diplomatic outpost in Benghazi, Libya. Photograph: Guardian

Romney critique captures contrasts in foreign policy approaches

Whatever you think of Mitt Romney's criticism of the White House, the ensuing debate has laid bare basic differences between the president's approach to foreign policy and what Romney's would be, Molly Ball writes in the Atlantic:

To Obama and his team, the best leadership is cautious, thoughtful, and situationally based. To Romney, true leadership means being at the front of every parade. It means reacting with clarity, certainty and a ringing reiteration of American strength to every crisis, a certainty born of underlying ideals so secure that it is not altered by intervening events or changing facts on the ground.

In this way, Romney's reaction to the current crisis was actually an excellent proxy for his foreign-policy philosophy. He knew what he thought in an instant, where Obama preferred to wait and see. He was not deterred by the way the situation changed overnight; the facts might have been slightly different in the morning, including the small matter of the deaths of four U.S. officials, but Romney's underlying convictions were not.

Romney's Wednesday morning attempt to press his criticism of the president, meanwhile, continued to draw negative reviews from Republican stalwarts.

"I think he's a person who knows a lot about economic issues, and how to make money... that being said... he has not shown that he is a person of original foreign policy thinking," said Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan. "Romney looked weak today."

Mark Salter, the influential longtime adviser to Sen. John McCain and frequently excoriating critic of the president, said the Romney campaign had responded poorly under pressure:

I understand the Romney campaign is under pressure from some Republicans to toughen its attacks on the president. Four years ago, the McCain campaign was regularly urged to do the same, while at the same time we were unfairly accused by more than a few Democrats and many in the press of inflaming race-based opposition to our opponent. I’m sympathetic to Romney’s predicament.

But this is hardly the issue or the moment to demonstrate a greater resolve to take the fight to the president. Four good Americans, brave and true, have just died in service to their country.

McCain himself praised the administration's message:

John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain)

Just watched an excellent and moving stmt by Sec. Clinton- just the right message and tone.

September 12, 2012

Romney surrogates who have attempted to defend the candidate have run into trouble. Ohio Sen. Rob Portman went on CBS Thursday morning and, in an embarrassing moment on live television, ended up admitting the he himself did not know that the Cairo embassy statement Romney had criticized was issued before the attack on the embassy.

Doublespeak from the Brotherhood

Ahram Online has an article explaining the background to today's Twitter clash between the US embassy in Cairo and the Muslim Brotherhood (see earlier post).

Basically, the embassy was accusing the Brotherhood of saying one thing in English (expressing sympathy to the US on Twitter) and something else in Arabic on its own website.

Ahram Online points out that one article in Arabic on the Brotherhood's website said: "Egyptians rise to defend the Prophet" and that the Brotherhood, on its website and in its Arabic Twitter feed, was praising the protests and calling for a "million man march" on Friday.

Man behind anti-Islam film seeks to hide his role

The man who made an anti-Islam film tied to deadly violence in Libya and attacks on US diplomatic outposts around the world has attempted to hide his role in the production, the Associated Press reports.

US law enforcement identified Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, as the film-maker behind Innocence of Muslims, portions of which appeared on YouTube, where one clip has been viewed more than one million times.

The AP interviewed Nakoula on Wednesday at a location near Los Angeles (the film has been tied to a non-profit production company called Media for Christ based in Duarte, California, east of LA). During the interview, Nakoula, a Coptic Christian, admitted involvement but denied he was in charge:

Nakoula denied he had directed the film, though he said he knew the self-described film-maker, Sam Bacile. But the cellphone number that the AP contacted Tuesday to reach the film-maker who identified himself as Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where Nakoula was located.

...
Nakoula denied he had posed as Bacile. Federal court papers filed in a 2010 criminal prosecution against him said Nakoula had used numerous aliases in the past. Among the fake names, the documents said, were Nicola Bacily and Erwin Salameh.

During a conversation outside his home, Nakoula offered his driver's license to show his identity but kept his thumb over his middle name, Basseley. Records checks by the AP subsequently found that middle name as well as other connections to the Bacile persona.

Clinton: Anti-Islam video 'disgusting and reprehensible'

US secretary of state Hillary Clinton issued a sweeping condemnation of the film linked to violent protests outside US diplomatic outposts, calling it "disgusting and reprehensible" but having no grounds for violence.

"Let me state very clearly – and I hope it is obvious – that the United States government had absolutely nothing to do with this video," Clinton said. "We absolutely reject its content and message. America's commitment to religious tolerance goes back to the very beginning of our nation.

A film clip titled Innocence of Muslims has been viewed on YouTube more than one million times. As offensive as the film is, Clinton said, it does not justify violence.

"Violence, we believe, has no place in religion and is no way to honor religion," she said. "Islam, like other religions respects, the fundamental dignity of human beings, and it is a violation of that fundamental dignity to wage attacks on innocence."

Clinton said attacking diplomats was particularly damaging.

“It is especially wrong for violence to be directed against diplomatic missions," she said. "These are places whose very purpose is peaceful to promote better understanding across countries and cultures."

Clinton spoke at the state department in advance of a meeting with Moroccan leaders.

Hillary Clinton Libya
US secretary of state Hillary Clinton delivers a statement on the killing of US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and three staff members. Photograph: Paul J Richards/AFP/Getty Images

Saudi Arabia condemns film – and violent protests

Saudi Arabia condemned has condemned the anti-Muslim film as well as denouncing violent anti-American protests, Reuters reports.

"Saudi Arabia has expressed ... its condolences to the United States of America for the victims of violent actions in Libya that targeted the American consulate in Benghazi," state news agency SPA reported citing a senior official.

The kingdom also denounced what it called an "irresponsible" group which produced the film deemed insulting to the Prophet Muhammad and condemned "the violent reactions that occurred in a number of countries against American interests".

Benghazi in shock as jihadist cell blamed for attack

The mood in Benghazi is one of shock and dismay as a jihadist cell is being blamed for the attack on the consulate, the Guardian’s Chris Stephen reports the city.

Chris said there is a fear that the US and the west will now abandon Libya based on a false impression that it is riddled with extremists.

In a telephone update:

The attack was really unexpected ... and against a man, Chris Stevens, who was a great friend of Benghazi. He had been in the city because he was organising a link up between the city hospitals and some Boston hospitals and the Harvard medical school.

If they thought they would win hearts and minds these attackers have definitely not succeeded.

A Libyan photographer apologised to Chris thinking he was American.

‘I wanted to say how sorry I am, this is not Libya,’ he kept saying. That’s really the mood. They are demanding action and they are upset there’s no sign of any investigation.

There have been two counter demonstrations, both pro-America. People gathered at a hotel where diplomats all stay to vent their anger. To say ‘this is not us, we are not Islamists and we want the Americans here'.

There is an anxiety that America and the west will turn against Libya and abandon them. This was the great anxiety that they would be portrayed in this light [as al-Qaida]. They are thinking that the people doing this want this to come through.

Asked who was responsible for the attack, Chris said:

Islamist brigades have been blamed for previous attacks - the rocket attack on the British ambassador, the attacks on the Red Cross, the UN and the Tunisian consulate.

Who did this one is unclear, but certainly it was a very jihadist crowd that gathered and ransacked the [consulate].

I’ve toured both the compounds, with the landlords, [of] the accommodation block and the consulate. They say it was a very organised attack. It was a battle that went on all night - the bullets and RPG holes are all over the place.

They are talking about a group of about 400 people who first attacked the embassy [consulate] and when the embassy armoured car managed to get out to [the accommodation block]. This armed group followed them and laid siege to this building.

From what I’ve seen there is a lot of devastation and blood on the walls and bullet holes. It looks like a fairly battle.

FBI investigators are expected to arrive tomorrow, but in the meantime there are no crime scene investigations, Chris said.

Journalists and people are allowed to wander around these crime scenes. So you wonder when they turn up how much evidence are they going to be able to collect?

It will fuel tension between Tripoli and Benghazi, if Tripoli ignore it as they have ignored all previous attacks.

Local people say there is a very strong, very determined jihadist cell here. It is very well organised and it has impunity. Every time they have an attack nothing happens, even when they destroyed the British war graves here. This time people are demanding action.

There is an Islamic brigade quartered here and they are vigorously denying [involvement]. They are not denying that they were at the demonstration or that they are anti-American. But they are denying that they took part in this attack. I haven’t found anyone there who was willing to say differently.

The question of jihadist units here is become very moot because this was a very blatant attack. They were obviously not nervous about the local security forces. They had all night to do it. The security forces didn’t appear until dawn.

As Chris mentioned there have been counter-demonstrations in Benghazi to protest at the consulate attack.

Video image of a counter demonstration in Al-Shagara Square, Benghazi to protest Tuesday's attack on the US consulate.
Video image of a counter demonstration in Al-Shagara Square, Benghazi to protest Tuesday's attack on the US consulate. Photograph: AP

US embassy in Twitter scrap with Brotherhood

A fascinating public exchange on Twitter between the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood and the US embassy in Cairo.

It begins with an expression of sympathy from the Brotherhood. The embassy thanks the Brotherhood but suggests it takes a look at its own "Arabic feeds" – adding: "we read those too". The Brotherhood then asks for more details.

Watch this space.

Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb)

.@khairatalshater:We r relieved none of @usembassycairo staff were harmed & hope US-Eg relations will sustain turbulence of Tuesday's events

September 13, 2012
US Embassy Cairo (@USEmbassyCairo)

.@ikhwanweb Thanks. By the way, have you checked out your own Arabic feeds? I hope you know we read those too.

September 13, 2012
Ikhwanweb (@Ikhwanweb)

.@usembassycairo we understand you're under a lot of stress, but it will be more helpful if you point out exactly the Arabic feed of concern

September 13, 2012

Libya attack 'backfired'

The attack on the US consulate in Benghazi has backfired as the mood in the city is marked by shame and mourning, according to the British- Libyan novelist Hisham Matar.

Matar, whose novel the In the Country of Men, was shortlisted for the Man Booker prize, said the attack is thought to be the work of ultra-religious groups who have perpetrated similar assaults in Benghazi.

Writing in the New Yorker, he says:

Friends and relatives there tell me that the city is mournful. There have been spontaneous demonstrations denouncing the attack. Popular Libyan Internet sites are full of condemnations of those who carried out the assault. And there was a general air of despondency in the city on Wednesday night. The streets were not as crowded and bustling as usual. There is a deep and palpable sense that Benghazi, the proud birthplace of the revolution, has failed to protect a highly regarded guest.

There is outrage that Tripoli is yet to send government officials to Benghazi to condemn the attacks, instigate the necessary investigations and visit the Libyan members of the consulate staff who were wounded in the attack. There is anger too towards the government’s failure to protect hospitals, courtrooms, and other embassies that have suffered similar attacks recently in Benghazi. The city seems to have been left at the mercy of fanatics.

Hisham Matar
Hisham Matar.

Yemeni cleric called for protest

Yemeni journalist Naser Araybee told us that today's protests at the US embassy in Sana'a came after a call by the controversial cleric Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani (see earlier).

The Mareb news agency (in Arabic) quotes Zindani calling for Yemenis to follow the example of protesters in Egypt and Libya.

Zindani says:

When an icon of a society is humiliated it means the society is humiliated itself and it would declare its denunciation of this humiliation and if it did not show its anger, it will loose its dignity.

Muslims have no more precious icon than the Prophet Muhammad and lively Islamic people have expressed their denunciation of the film categorically.

Zindani calls upon "Yemeni people and Arab and Islamic people" to follow "lively Islamic people" and express their protest and anger towards those who mock the Prophet Muhammad.

Support your prophet and declare your wrath, you Muslims, especially you the young men of the Arab revolutions whom hopes are in you and you reveal the will of the Arab people.

Syrian opposition's statement on protests

The opposition Syrian National Council has issued a statement condemning the use of violence to protest about the film:

With deep distress the Syrian National Council watched the insults by a group of American bigots to the messenger of Islam and peace Muhammad peace be upon him. The Council, however, was shocked by the reaction to these insults in the form of murder, burning, and destruction.

We condemn the repeated insults to the noble prophet peace be upon him and are outraged to see them tied to the anniversary of the September 11 attacks by suggesting that there is a connection between the events and the tolerant message of Islam.

As we condemn the insults and consider them an assault on the feelings and beliefs of nearly one fourth of the population of the globe we stress the right of everyone who has been offended to express peacefully their rejection and condemnation of those who perpetrated them. However, the reaction by murder, burning, and destruction is rejected and unequivocally condemned.

The Syrian National Council condemns the killing of the US ambassador and the employees of the US embassy in Libya. This act is rejected and violates Islamic Shari'ah and all conventions of international relations that prohibit any assault on envoys and ambassadors and prohibits holding them responsible for actions committed by their compatriots.

Summary

Here's a summary of events so far today

Yemen

Hundreds demonstrators stormed the US embassy in the capital Sana'a in protest at an anti-Islamic film following similar protests in Benghazi and Cairo. Security sources said 15 people were injured after police used teargas and gunfire to disperse the crowd. Windows to the embassy building were smashed, while cars and US flags were burned.

Yemen's Yemen's president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi apologised for the attack. He blamed those responsible as "demagogic groups". The Yemeni embassy in Washington also condemned the attack.

Egypt

State media says 29 people were injured and 12 people were arrests after a second night of protests against the film turned violent. Riot police repeatedly used teargas to disperse protesters near the US embassy building.

President Mohamed Morsi toughened his stance against the protests by condemning the attack on Libya that killed the American ambassador and vowing to protect foreign embassies in Cairo. Yesterday Morsi was slow to respond to the attack and then in his first remarks on the attacks urged the film makers to be sued. But speaking during a visit to the European Union in Brussels, he condemned "in the clearest terms" the attack in Benghazi.

President Barack Obama has called on Morsi and his Libyan counterpart to continue working with the United States to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel. Obama told Morsi that while "he rejects efforts to denigrate Islam ... there is never any justification for violence against innocents."

Libya

 Barack Obama has vowed to hunt down the killers of US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans during an assault on its mission in Benghazi as suspicion grew that the diplomat was the victim of an organised attack by an Islamist group. "Make no mistake: justice will be done," Obama said at the White House. The FBI is being dispatched to Libya to help with the hunt, as well as 50 marines to reinforce the Tripoli embassy. Two US warships were reportedly heading towards the Libyan coast on Wednesday night. US surveillance drones are being redeployed to search for suspects among alleged jihadist camps in eastern Libya.

 The assault was a planned terrorist attack which used protests against an anti-Islamic film as cover, according to CNN's sources. The fact that a rocket-propelled grenade was used is cited as evidence.

Syria

Syrian rebels and a pro-government group clashed near a Shia shrine on the outskirts of Damascus on Thursday, activists said, killing at least three people. The continuing violence came as new international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi arrived in Damascus for talks with senior members of the Assad regime.

Egypt is neither ally nor enemy, says Obama

The US does not consider Egypt an ally "but we don't consider them an enemy" either, President Obama has said in a TV interview, AP reports.

Speaking on the Spanish-language Telemundo channel, Obama said Egypt has a "new government that is trying to find its way." But he warned that if the Egyptian government takes actions showing "they're not taking responsibility," then it would "be a real big problem".

Libyan Muslim Brotherhood condemns embassy attack

The Libyan Muslims Brotherhood has condemned Tuesday's attack on the embassy which led to the death of the US ambassador.

"We vehemently condemn the attack," the group said in a statement, but it issued a number of caveats. It said freedom of speech should be used to attack religions, and urged western governments to take a tougher line on those who insult Islam.

Two groups involved in Yemen protest

Journalist Benjamin Wiacek, who witnessed the aftermath of the storming of the US embassy in Sana'a, says two groups of protesters were involved.

Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat)

1st group of protesters arrived at #US embassy around 8am, protested peacefully, wanted to start a sit-in in front of building #Sanaa #Yemen

September 13, 2012
Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat)

then 2d group arrived around 10am, joined by thugs who whose faces were covered. The thugs attacked the embassy, stormed it #Sanaa #Yemen

September 13, 2012
Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat)

Some protesters along with thugs used molotov cocktails at cars in front of #embassy and thats when security forces intervened #Sanaa #Yemen

September 13, 2012
Benjamin Wiacek (@Nefermaat)

Unfortunately, Central Security Forces cracked down on anyone around the area, including unarmed civilians and journalists #Sanaa #Yemen

September 13, 2012

Reuters, citing a security source, says 15 people were wounded, some from bullets and 12 people were arrested.

Yemen's president Abd Rabbo Mansour Hadi has condemned the attack and apologised to Barack Obama in a call to the US president.

The state run news agency, Saba, quoted him saying:

Those responsible are demagogic groups, who are unaware of the the Zionist forces, who have authored and published a film insulting to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him.

A car was set a light at the US embassy embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a.
A car was set a light at the US embassy embassy in the Yemeni capital Sana'a. Photograph: Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters

The video below shows protesters at the embassy this morning.

US consulate in Berlin evacuated

Staff have been evacuated from the US consulate in Berlin because of a strange-smelling envelope, AP reports.

Spokeswoman Ruth Bennett said the smell came from an envelope containing supporting materials for a visa application given to consular employees by the applicant in person Thursday morning.

There were no reports of injuries and American and German authorities are now examining the contents.

A clash of bigotries?

In an article for Ahram Online, prominent Egyptian journalist Hani Shukrallah sees a "clash of bigotries" behind the film fracas. He writes:

My first suggestion in this respect is that the makers of the film had deliberately set out to goad Muslims into just such violent and irrational reactions as we have seen in Egypt, Libya and elsewhere.

It's been tested many times before, and even if we can't blame the penchant of certain influential political and ideological forces among us for ignorance and stupidity, we can still argue that those who would set out to trigger such responses are in possession of a very clear manual setting out how to do it, and the broad outlines of expected outcomes.

He goes on to suggest two broader political motives:

America is hurtling towards presidential elections in which Barak Hussein Obama is running for a second term. For large sections of the American Christian right (closely allied to rightwing Zionism), Obama is, if not the anti-Christ, than at the very least a Muslim mole planted in the White House.

For his part, Obama, from the very start of his presidency, had set out to douse the fires of the "clash of civilisations" then still raging courtesy of Messrs Bush and Bin Laden, among others ...

To reignite "the clash" in some form serves to bolster the American Right as a whole, the American Christian Right (which is a mainstay of the Republican Party) specifically, while at the same time undermining Obama ...

He also suggests there is a desire "to tarnish, even to deny the very existence of an Arab spring".

Among the dramatic effects of the historic revolutionary upsurge of the Arab world during the past two years had been a sweeping reimaging of the Arabs before in the eyes of the world at large, including the west ...

There is little doubt that the provocateurs had counted on an irrational and violent reaction and they got it, possibly beyond their most optimistic expectations.

The result is the same: the image of Arabs and Muslims as produced by the Arab spring is painted over with the old racist/Orientalist brush of the clash of civilisations.

At least 16 people injured in Cairo protest

Sixteen people were injured in clashes between security forces and demonstrators in Tahrir Square, the Egypt Independent reports.

The deputy director of Egypt’s ambulance service, Ahmed al-Ansary, told state-run MENA news service that 11 people have been treated and their conditions have improved, it said.

The Ministry of Interior says 30 were injured, and 12 protesters were arrested, according al-Jazeera's Adam Makary.

Cairo-based journalist Bel Trew is providing updates on the continuing violence.

Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew)

Protesters edge forward on rehan street towards semi ramis hotel round about csf truck charges #Tahrir

September 13, 2012
Bel Trew - بل ترو (@Beltrew)

Csf truck just charged towards rehan street, protesters pelt it with rocks, shoots tear gas #Tahrir

September 13, 2012

Video of US embassy protest in Sana'a

Al-Jazeera Arabic has video of today's protests at the US embassy in Sana'a.

There are also reports of looting from the building.

—Hind Aleryaniهند(@Dory_Eryani)

Stealing stuff from the #US embassy..is this true.oh come on! how can the #US embassy not being well protected! #Yemen twitter.com/Dory_Eryani/st…

September 13, 2012

'No casualities' in Sana'a embassy protest

Despite reports of heavy gunfire, Yemen's embassy in Washington no casualties were reported when protesters stormed the US embassy compound in Sana'a.

An embassy statement emailed to Reuters said Yemen's government condemned the attack by protesters angry at a film seen as insulting to Islam, adding security forces had restored order at the complex.

The statement said:

Fortunately no casualties were reported from this chaotic incident. The government of Yemen will honour international obligations to ensure the safety of diplomats and will step up security presence around all foreign missions.

Protesters climb a fence at the US embassy in Sana'a September. Yemen's embassy in Washington said no casualties were reported.
Protesters climb a fence at the US embassy in Sana'a September. Yemen's embassy in Washington said no casualties were reported. Photograph: Mohamed al-Sayaghi/Reuters

Protest in Tehran

About 500 protesters have gathered in Tehran outside the Swiss embassy which represents US interests in Iran, the Zurich-based Tages-Anzeiger newspaper is reporting (in German).

The paper says a large police presence is protecting the embassy building.

The demonstrators are said to be calling for maker of the anti-Muslim film to be killed but are also chanting the customary "Death to the US" and "Death to Israel" slogans.

Brahimi arrives in Damascus

It's all happening. The new international envoy Lakhdar Brahimi has arrived in Damascus for his first trip to the country since taking up the post.

Brahimi will meet Syrian foreign minister Walid al-Moualem on Thursday and is due to meet President Bashar al-Assad for talks aimed at addressing the conflict.

"During his visit to Syria, Brahimi will hold talks with the government and with representatives of the Syrian opposition and civil society," his spokesman Ahmad Fawzi said in a statement.

Brahimi was accompanied by the Canadian diplomat Mokhtar Lamani, who will remain in Damascus to assume his new functions as head of the office of the joint Arab League-UN mission in Syria.

'Hundreds' storm US embassy in Sana'a

Yemeni protesters chanted "death to America" and burned the US flag, as hundreds stormed the US Embassy compound in the capital Sana'a, AP reports.

The protesters breached the usually tight security around the embassy and reached the compound grounds but did not enter the main building housing the offices. Once inside the compound, they brought down the US flag, burned it and replaced it with a black banner bearing Islam's declaration of faith: "There is no God but Allah."

Before storming the grounds, demonstrators removed the embassy's sign on the outer wall, set tires ablaze and pelted the compound with rocks.

Yemeni security forces who rushed to the scene fired in the air and used tear gas to disperse the demonstrators and were eventually able to drive them out of the compound. It was not immediately clear whether anyone was inside the embassy at the time of the attack.

The Yemeni embassy in Washington condemned the attack and vowed to ensure the safety of foreign diplomats and to step up security measures around their missions in the country.

Yemeni protesters smash windows of the US embassy in Sana'a.  The security forces responded with heavy fire.
Yemeni protesters smash windows of the US embassy in Sana'a. The security forces responded with heavy fire. Photograph: Yahya Arhab/EPA

Yemen US embassy protest prompted by cleric

Between 10 and 15 demonstrators managed to break into the US embassy in Sana’a after a call to protest by a radical Yemeni cleric, according to Sana’a based journalist Nasser Araybee.

There was very heavy gunfire during the incident he said in a phone interview with the Guardian. Two cars in the embassy compound were burnt and protesters tried to tear down the US flag, Araybee said.

Smoke could be seen from every where. [Initially] we thought it was the building but it was cars that were burned.

There is no one in building now, and security is very heavy. The firing has almost seized.

There are hundreds of protesters outside the building, he added.

Based on reports by three of his friends in the area, Araybee said:

The mood is very very bad. The area is very afraid because of the firing. Many residents told me that children were horrified, because of what they heard. After the saw the smoke a lot of them started to move. Now it is getting quieter and quieter.

He claimed the protests came after Sheikh Abd al-Majid al-Zindani, a religious leader accused by the US of supporting terrorism, called for a protest yesterday.

Zindani called on Yemenis to follow the example of protesters in Libya and Egypt, Araybee said.

Zindani, 70, is one of the most influential religious figures in Yemen as well as a prominent member of the conservative-Islamist Islah party. In 2004 he was listed by the US Treasury as a "specially designated global terrorist".

In Yemen, he founded the controversial religious-based
Iman University and at one point claimed to have discovered a cure for Aids.

Although the Islamophobic film appears to have been the trigger for today's protest, anti-American sentiment in Yemen is more broadly-based than in Libya.

Continuing drone strikes aimed at terrorists have killed numerous innocent civilians and the US ambassador, Gerald Feierstein, is an especially unpopular figure. His behaviour has been criticised as heavy-handed and because of his political influence he is sometimes described as Yemen's acting president.

Protesters storm US embassy compound in Yemen

Protesters have forced their way into the compound of the US embassy in the Yemeni capital, Sana'a, according to numerous reports.

Reuters, citing local witnesses, says:

Demonstrators smashed windows of the security offices outside the embassy before breaking through the main gate of the heavily fortified compound in eastern Sanaa. Security guards opened fire and there were reports of casualties on both sides but no details were immediately available.

AP says that before storming the embassy compound, the demonstrators removed the embassy's sign on the outer wall and set tyres alight. Once inside the compound, they brought down the US flag and burned it.

AP adds that the protesters were on the embassy's grounds but did not enter the building housing the offices.

The Yemen Times reported a few minutes ago that US embassy staff were being moved to a safer location.

The Yemen Times (@theyementimes)

Sources say #US #embassy employees are being moved to a safer location. #Sanaa #Yemen #protests

September 13, 2012

Mohammed Albasha, Yemen's spokesman in Washington, has tweeted that additional security forces have been sent and the situation is now under control.

Morsi toughens his line

Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi has toughened his stance against the protests at the US embassy in Cairo.

In a TV address he said:

Expressing opinion, freedom to protest and announcing positions is guaranteed but without assaulting private or public property, diplomatic missions or embassies.

He also pledged to protect foreigners and condemned the killing of the US envoy in Libya.

Morsi's initial response to the attack was to stay silent for 24 hours.

Foreign Policy's Marc Lynch wrote:

They [Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood] seem far more concerned at the moment with their domestic political interest in protecting their right flank against Salafi outbidding than with behaving like the governing party of a state. 

Then Morsi issued a statement condemning the anti-Islamic film and urging the US to sue the film makers. In his first statement on the issue he also failed to condemn the killing of Chris Stevens.

Morsi will be "roasted by the Western media", as he is due to travel to Brussels and Rome today, predicted Egyptian blogger Zeinobia.

Blogger Ranya Khalifa sums up Morsi's predicament:

Ranya Khalifa (@RanyaKhalifa)

If Morsi continues walking a tightrope between appeasing the Islamists and undermining national security, the US will surely retaliate. #aid

September 13, 2012

US urges Libya and Egypt to co-operate on security

The White House says President Barack Obama has called the presidents of Libya and Egypt and urged them to continue working with the United States to ensure the safety of diplomatic personnel, AP reports.

Obama thanked Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf for his condolences over the deaths of US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other state department officers during an assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi Tuesday. The White House says the two leaders agreed to work together to bring the attackers to justice.

During a second call, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi promised Egypt "would honor its obligation to ensure the safety of American personnel," the White House said.

Obama told Morsi that while "he rejects efforts to denigrate Islam ... there is never any justification for violence against innocents."

Security outside the US embassy in Cairo appears to have been stepped up after a second night of protests.

Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (@Repent11)

Road leading to US embassy blocked by barbed wire and piled up destroyed cars. Graffiti walls minus flag! #Egypt twitter.com/Repent11/statu…

September 13, 2012
Mohamed Fadel Fahmy (@Repent11)

Protester struck in the head by a gas canister during ongoing clashes with police close to #USEmbassy #Egypt twitter.com/Repent11/statu…

September 13, 2012

Summary

Welcome to Middle East Live where we will continue to focus on the aftermath of Tuesday's attack on the US consulate in Benghazi and continuing protests in Cairo over an anti-Islamic film.

Here's a round up of the latest developments:

Libya and US response to consulate attack

Barack Obama has vowed to hunt down the killers of US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans during an assault on its mission in Benghazi as suspicion grew that the diplomat was the victim of an organised attack by an Islamist group. "Make no mistake: justice will be done," Obama said at the White House. The FBI is being dispatched to Libya to help with the hunt, as well as 50 marines to reinforce the Tripoli embassy. Two US warships were reportedly heading towards the Libyan coast on Wednesday night. US surveillance drones are being redeployed to search for suspects among alleged jihadist camps in eastern Libya.

The assault was a planned terrorist attack which used protests against an anti-Islamic film as cover, according to CNN's sources. The fact that a rocket-propelled grenade was used is cited as evidence.

Sources tracking militant Islamist groups in eastern Libya say a pro-al Qaida group responsible for a previous armed assault on the Benghazi consulate is the chief suspect. A senior defence official told CNN the drones would be part of "a stepped-up, more focused search" for a particular insurgent cell that may have been behind the killings.

There are competing theories among US officials about whether the attack was timed to coincide with 9/11 or whether it was opportunistic, writes Chris McGreal in Washington.

Some officials drew attention to the scale of the assault, ostensibly over an anti-Muslim film, compared to an earlier protest in Cairo. [But] senior administration officials also said they believe that the consulate building, which was burned and looted, was the intended target, and that Stevens was an accidental victim. The attackers are unlikely to have known the ambassador was visiting from Tripoli.

 Barack Obama has stepped into the political row over Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's ill-judged response to the Benghazi consulate attack. Romney faced heavy criticism from across the political spectrum for statements issued on Tuesday evening and repeated at a press conference on Wednesday morning in which he accused the Obama administration of being too ready to apologise for American values.

Chris Stevens was in many ways the model American diplomat, committed, idealistic, and willing to take risks, according to the LA Times. 

Stevens had a yearning to mingle with Arabs to get a street level view of events, and he sometimes chafed about the post-September 11 security measures that sometimes prevented diplomats from reaching far into the hinterland.

Anti-Islamic film

The hunt for the maker of the anti-Islamic video that inflamed mayhem in Egypt and Libya has led to a Californian Coptic Christian convicted of financial crimes. Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, who lives outside Los Angeles, confirmed he managed and provided logistics for The Innocence of Muslims and that he considered Islam a cancer and that the film was intended to be a provocative political statement assailing the religion. He denied being Sam Bacile, the pseudonym for the video's purportedly Israeli Jewish writer and director, but AP said the cellphone number it called for a telephone interview with Bacile on Tuesday matched Nakoula's address.

The anti-Islamic film which was initially thought to have sparked the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi has caused uproar across the Muslim world. Protesters took to the streets in some countries, US citizens were warned to keep a low profile and public condemnations of the film were issued.

Egypt

 A second night of protest against the film turned violent in Cairo as clashes erupted between demonstrators and police in the early hours of Thursday in Tahrir Square, the Egypt Independent reports. 

Police vehicles fired teargas at protesters who were banging stones on metal to make noise. Stones were hurled from both sides. An anonymous protester said he demands that the US ambassador to Egypt be expelled and measures against the screening of the film to be taken. 

President Mohamed Morsi called on the Egyptian embassy in Washington to take legal action against the producers of the “Innocence of Muslims” film. His statement came nearly a full day after the first attack took place.

The tepid response from the Egyptian government to the first assault gave officials in Washington — already troubled by the direction of President Mohamed Morsi’s new Islamist government — further cause for concern, according to the New York Times. Several foreign policy experts said they worried that Morsi was putting appeasement of his country’s Islamist population ahead of national security, it said.