Report: Easy Access to Sensitive U.S. Documents in Libya

Papers related to the American operation in Libya remain loosely secured more than three weeks after an attack on the U.S. Consulate left the ambassador and three other Americans dead, The Washington Post reported Wednesday.

The sprawling complex in Benghazi is being watched over by only two private security guards who are paid by the property’s Libyan owner, the story says.

The Washington Post:

Documents detailing weapons collection efforts, emergency evacuation protocols, the full internal itinerary of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’s trip and the personnel records of Libyans who were contracted to secure the mission were among the items scattered across the floors of the looted compound when a Washington Post reporter and a translator visited Wednesday.

Although the gates to the compound were locked several days after the attacks, looters and curiosity-seekers were free to roam in the initial chaotic aftermath, and many documents may already have disappeared.

…“Securing the site has obviously been a challenge,” said Mark Toner, deputy spokesman at the State Department, in response to questions about conditions at the Benghazi compound. “We had to evacuate all U.S. government personnel the night of the attack. After the attack, we requested help securing the site, and we continue to work with the Libyan government on this front.”

Read more

— Posted by Tracy Bloom.