In a sombre statement in the White House Rose Garden, Obama paid tribute to Ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues, killed when an Islamist mob, angered by reports of a film deemed insulting to Islam, stormed the US consulate in Benghazi.
But he took pains to note that the assault should not be deemed as representative of Libya after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi and noted that some Libyans fought to repel the assault on the US consulate.
“The United States condemns in the strongest terms this outrageous and shocking attack,” Obama said in a statement in the White House Rose Garden.
“Make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.”
“It is especially tragic that Chris Stevens died in Benghazi because it is a city that he helped to save,” Obama said, praising the slain ambassador for building partnerships with Libya revolutionaries in a new Libya.
Obama, who reiterated his earlier warning that he had ordered stepped up security at US posts around the world, noted that many Libyans had already condemned the assault.
“The attack will not break the bonds between the United States and Libya” – Obama.
“The attack will not break the bonds between the United States and Libya.”
“Libyan security personnel fought back alongside Americans. Libyans helped some of the diplomats find safety and carried Ambassador Stevens’s body to the hospital where we tragically learned that he had died.”
Obama noticeably did not mention another attack on the US embassy in Egypt and ignored Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s fierce criticism over the US response to that attack.
Clips of the film at the centre of the controversy have been posted on the Internet and private satellite channels have been showing segments.
The low-budget movie, “Innocence of Muslims,” in which actors have strong American accents, portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent.
It pokes fun at the Prophet Mohammed and touches on themes of paedophilia and homosexuality, while showing him sleeping with women, talking about killing children and referring to a donkey as “the first Muslim animal.”