Details emerge on sacking of U. S. Consulate, envoy’s death
are unable to reach them.
Attackers then try to enter the tactical operations center, where the last two agents are located. They smash up the door but cannot enter the building.
Americans trapped
Meanwhile, Stevens’ building rapidly fills with thick diesel smoke and fumes from the burning furniture. Inside, visibility is less than 3 feet.
Unable to breathe, the Americans go to a bathroom and open a window, but still can’t get enough air.
They decide to leave the building. The agent goes first, flopping out onto a patio enclosed by sandbags.
He takes immediate fire, including probably rocket- propelled grenades. Stevens and Smith don’t come out of the building. The agent, suffering severely from smoke inhalation, goes in and out of the building several times to look for them.
He then climbs a ladder to the building’s roof and collapses. He radios the other agents to alert them to the situation there.
The other four agents are able to reunite and take an armored vehicle to Stevens’ building. They reach the collapsed agent and try to set up a perimeter.
They take turns going into the building, searching on hands and knees for the missing Americans. Smith is pulled out, dead. Stevens cannot be found.
Reinforcements
A six- person quick reaction security team arrives from their compound across town. About 60 Libyanmilitiamen accompany them. They attempt to secure a perimeter around Stevens’ building and take turns going inside. Taking fire, Libyan forces determine they can’t hold the perimeter. A decision is made to evacuate the compound and return with everyone to the reaction force’s compound.
Evacuation
Agents pile into an armored vehicle, with Smith’s body, and leave through the main gate. They face immediate fire. Crowds and groups of men block two different routes to the security compound. Heavy traffic means they are traveling only about 15mph, and trying not to attract attention. On a narrow street they reach a group ofmen who signal for them to enter a compound. They sense an attack and speed away, taking heavy fire from AK- 47machine guns at a distance of only 2 feet, and hand grenades thrown against and under the car. Two tires are blown out.
They speed past another crowd of men and onto a main street and across a grassy median into opposing traffic. The agents drive against traffic, eventually reaching their compound. Security gets into firing positions around the compound and on the roof. They take more gunfire and rocketpropelled grenades intermittently for several hours.
More help
In the night, a team of reinforcements from the U. S. Embassy in Tripoli arrives on a chartered aircraft at the Benghazi airport and reaches the security compound.
Around 4 a. m.
The compound’s building is hit by mortar fire. The roof is hit and two security personnel are killed.
One agent involved in the attack from the beginning is severely wounded.
Themen decide to evacuate the city entirely. They spend the next hours securing the annex and moving a large convoy of vehicles to the airport.
They evacuate on two flights.