Terrorism

“They're trying to cover their behinds,” Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas) told The Hill.

Witnesses told CBS News there was not a peaceful protest at the consulate before the attack, as the administration claims.

He was likely an al Qaeda member who was released from Guantanamo Bay in 2007, according to a news report.

The North African branch of al Qaeda has called for attacks on U.S. diplomats as well as for increasing protests against the controversial YouTube video “Innocence of Muslims,” The Associated Press reports.

In its statement, the group called on Muslims to pull down flags at embassies, as well as kill or expel American diplomats in order to “purge our land of their filth in revenge for the honor of the Prophet.”

The statement also praised the killing of Ambassador Christopher Stevens in Benghazi, Libya.

In addition, the group threatened attacks in several North African states, including Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria, and charged the United States with "lying to Muslims for more than 10 years, saying its war was against terrorism and not Islam."

The group in North Africa is not the only al Qaeda branch in the Middle East to call for more attacks. Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, allegedly the most active al Qaeda branch, has also called for more attacks.

The calls for more violence and protests come after a rash of attacks on U.S. embassies and consulates in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia and Indonesia. There have been protests outside several other embassies, including the U.S. Embassy in London. As a result, the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon, has taken the precaution of burning classified material, The Hill reported on Monday.

Television footage showed hundreds gathered around the Embassy in Sanaa, with dozens seeking to scale fences around the perimeter.

Lawmakers believe the attack may have been coordinated by al Qaeda in retaliation for the U.S. killing a terrorist leader.

Your morning global affairs speed-read

The two presidential campaigns are taking a short break from campaigning to mark the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks today even as Osama bin Laden's death has become a potent weapon for the Obama administration to tout the president's commander-in-chief credentials. The Hill has the story here.

Iran crisis: The United Nations's atomic agency has received new intelligence that Iran has moved further toward the ability to build a nuclear weapon, The Associated Press reports. The new revelations come as Israel and the Obama administration appear increasingly at odds over a "red line" for Iran. [Washington Post]

Taking a stand: Congress is back from summer break today and will immediately bring up a slew of human-rights bills under the fast-track process called suspension of the rules. 

President Obama's electioneering on the killing of Osama bin Laden has shaped the presidential contest.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton designated the Haqqani Network a terrorist organization Friday after Congress passed resolution urging the Obama administration to do so.

Clinton sent a report to Congress Friday that said the Pakistani-based Haqqani Network is a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which enables the United States to freeze its assets in the United States and go after those who aid the Haqqanis.

But the decision could have broader complications, as it could further strain relations with Pakistan, one reason that the Obama administration was hesitant to make the terrorist designation.

Democrats repeatedly invoked Obama's decision to order the raid against bin Laden during the high-profile speeches