US: Libya Assault Was Clearly a 'Terrorist Attack'

The White House had previously suggested as much, but today it made clear that it considers the assault on the US consulate in Benghazi a planned terror attack and not a spontaneous response to the anti-Islam movie then making the rounds, reports USA Today. The quote from spokesman Jay Carney:

• “It is self-evident that what happened in Benghazi was a terrorist attack. Our (consulate) was attacked violently and the result was four deaths of American officials.”

The statement comes a day after national terror official Matthew Olsen described the assault as a terror attack while testifying before Congress, notes the New York Times. Neither he nor Carney offered any further evidence, though CNN reported earlier that slain Ambassador Chris Stevens thought he was on an al-Qaeda hit list. Hillary Clinton today set up a panel to investigate the attack. (More Benghazi stories.)