A former Gitmo detainee may have been involved in the attack on the US embassy in Libya that resulted in the deaths of four Americans. Sufyan bin Qumu was once considered a threat to the United States and is believed to have possibly orchestrated the rampage at the Middle East consulate where US Ambassador Chris Stevens served.
The director of the National Counterrorism Center, Matthew Olsen, called the violent actions in Benghazi a terrorist attack on Wednesday. He also stated during his Capitol Hill testimony that the assault on the embassy could circle back to Al Qaeda.
The potential link with the alleged militant may cause the White House to revise statements that the deadly incident was a spontaneous reaction to the anti-Islamist film, Innocence of Muslims , the New York Daily News reports.
A Fox News report, which first proposed the link to Sufyan bin Qumu, did not explicitly detail how the former Gitmo detainee was involved in or possibly helped plan the horrific violence which occurred. Bin Qumu’s alleged “fighting group” Ansar al-Shariah is suspected in taking part in the Libyan consulate carnage.
While incarcerated at the detention camp, analysts had branded bin Qumu as a medium to high risk inmate who was likely to pose a threat to US, its interests, and its allies, according to the New York Times . He was transferred from the camp to Libya in 2007 and freed the following year in an amnesty for militants program. His Guantanamo records allegedly show he had ties to the 9/11 financers.
On Tuesday, the Al Qaeda North African branch called for more attacks on US diplomats and noted the Innocence of Muslims movie as a catalyst due to the mocking portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed.
