Al Qaeda Praises Libya Consulate Attack as Anti-American Protests Subside

Sept. 15, 2012— -- Al Qaeda's branch in Yemen praised the killing of the U.S. ambassador to Libya as a "great event" today, and urged followers to kill other American diplomats across the Muslim world.

But the violent anti-American protests that rocked the capitals of some 20 nations from northern Africa to southeast Asia on Friday, causing at least six deaths, largely subsided.

In Egypt, where Islamic fury first erupted over a crude amateur film produced in the United States denigrating the Prophet Muhammad, security forces moved today to end the demonstrations around the American embassy in Cairo.

They cleared the streets around the U.S. compound and nearby Tahrir Square, using tear gas and arresting scores of protesters who refused to disperse. They also expanded barriers blocking access to the embassy.

The Egyptian interior minister inspected the area for himself and said "our presence here is to clear the square of people who are breaking the law," adding, "We must preserve the square as a symbol of the revolution. That is the aim of our operation."

Issuing a stern warning, he said measures would be taken to ensure "those breaking the law" do not return.

PHOTOS: Protest Spread Across Middle East

Egypt's new president and his ruling party, the Muslim Brotherhood, angered President Obama and the State Department by not moving swiftly to stop the siege of the U.S. embassy on Tuesday and to condemn the violence. Egypt's new rulers have since acknowledged that they should have done more.

Meanwhile, state news media in Egypt today gave the first full accounting of casualties caused during the four days of clashes: A man was killed by shotgun fire and more than 224 people were injured, including at least 99 Egyptian security officers.

One of the few reports of violence today came from Australia, where 200 protesters clashed with riot police outside the U.S. consulate in Sydney. Demonstrators chanted "Obama, Obama, we love Osama" and waved signs declaring, "Behead all those who insult the Prophet."

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, as the terror group's Yemen branch is known, sought to ride the wave of anger in the Arab street with its web posting today that urged Muslims to step up their demonstrations and violence.

The group said the killing of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens on Tuesday by a mob that stormed the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, and set it on fire was the "best example" for Muslims in other nations to follow.

"What has happened is a great event, and these efforts should come together in one goal, which is to expel the embassies of America from the lands of the Muslims," the web statement said.

The group urged protesters in Muslim nations "to set the fires blazing at these embassies."

Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula consists mostly of militants from Yemen and Saudi Arabia and is regarded by the United States as the most dangerous arm of the network founded by Osama bin Laden.

Muslims have blamed the U.S. government for the film -- even though Washington has condemned the movie and explicitly denounced insults to any religion.

Obama focused on the death of Ambassador Stevens and three other Americans in the Benghazi attack in his weekly address today.

"We must ... send a clear and resolute message to the world: those who attack our people will find no escape from justice. We will not waver in their pursuit. And we will never allow anyone to shake the resolve of the United States of America," Obama said.

"This tragic attack takes place at a time of turmoil and protest in many different countries. I have made it clear that the United States has a profound respect for people of all faiths. We stand for religious freedom. And we reject the denigration of any religion -- including Islam," he said.

"Yet there is never any justification for violence," he said. "There is no religion that condones the targeting of innocent men and women. There is no excuse for attacks on our Embassies and Consulates. And so long as I am Commander-in-Chief, the United States will never tolerate efforts to harm our fellow Americans."

In the Republican response, Rep. Allen West, R-Fla., called the attacks "stark, horrific reminders that freedom remains under siege by forces who relish terror and violence over freedom and free expression. Remember how critical it is that the United States projects strength, that we remain vigilant and resolute in the defense of our liberties and way of life."

He went on to criticize the president for not speaking out against massive defense cuts that would automatically take effect next year as part of a broader reduction in spending agreed to by White House and Republicans in 2011 in exchange for raising the nation's debt ceiling.

Ambassador Stevens, a graduate of the University of California at Berkley, was remembered today with a moment of silence before the Ohio State-Cal football game.