he said that ansar al sharia was responsible, he said 17 of his men were injured in a fire fight that night and he said they simply weren't prepared for such a sophisticated attack. >> pelley: and when he says "sophisticated attack," charlie, what are we talking about? >> reporter: well, he described that the attackers claim and closed off the roads in many vehicles. they were also armed with machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades and they all struck at once. and they were able to get inside the embassy and launch their attacks with other demonstrators who had also gotten into the consulate. >> pelley: thanks, charlie. now, we don't know whether this is related to the muslim protests, but we are getting late word that two united states marines have been killed after taliban militants attacked the main allied base in southern afghanistan. the taliban breached the perimeter of camp leather neck and fired probgt propelled grenades. it is 53 days before election day. tonight a new cbs news/"new york times" poll shows just how close the presidential race is. of the people who told us t

extremist militias in the city of benghazi, including the headquarters of the militia known as ansar al sharia, and if you'll remember the libyan government has said it has detained individuals who are part of ansar al sharia, an association with the attack on the u.s. consulate, although they say the group as a whole was not behind that assault. we were with libyans as they went through the compound, the ansar al sharia compound. they were not carrying weapons. they torched a vehicle. they said this is the real libya, a libya that exists without militias, but then things took quite a sinister turn. in the fervor, the euphoria found there, the situation was manipulated and the government says the location that was attacked right afterwards was in fact the headquarters of a battalion that is endorsed by the government. there was a fire fight that broke out there. there was complete and utter chaos, and in total at least 4 people killed, 70 wounded. the government scrambling to inform and educate the public that some of these locations that they are targeting are in fact of units that have been

extremist militias in the city of benghazi, including the headquarters of the militia known as ansar al sharia, and if you'll remember the libyan government has said it has detained individuals who are part of ansar al sharia, an association with the attack on the u.s. consulate, although they say the group as a whole was not behind that assault. we were with libyans as they went through the compound, the ansar al sharia compound. they were not carrying weapons. they torched a vehicle. they said this is the real libya, a libya that exists without militias, but then things took quite a sinister turn. in the fervor, the euphoria found there, the situation was manipulated and the government says the location that was attacked right afterwards was in fact the headquarters of a battalion that is endorsed by the government. there was a fire fight that broke out there. there was complete and utter chaos, and in total at least 4 people killed, 70 wounded. the government scrambling to inform and educate the public that some of these locations that they are targeting are in fact of units that have been

is ansar al sharia brigade. what can you tell us? >> reporter: the brigade issued a statement saying they were not involved in the incident that took place, the assault on the consulate itself. but that statement is being met with pretty wide skepticism with the libyans we speak to and even the authorities themselves. there have been reports that there have been clashes breaking out between government forces, between some of the other extremist groups that have turned on ansar al sharia realizing what the short fallout of this horrific assault could potentially be. and this just really goes to underscore, erin, how many challenges this country faces. the fact that this very much a nation that is run by these militias, these armed groups that are effectively able to establish their own military training camps, that are able to operate with complete and utter impunity. the government has to rein them in and the government is fully aware right now it has to go after these individuals, hold those responsible for the horrific attack to ju

but they have local affiliate groups active in yemen and ansar al sharia is out there.will rally to the cause if you have a message like this fr. nonetheless, they are there and they will respond to the calls and can carry out attacks like this is an unstable attack like this such what you found inside libya. >> evan, thank you for your time tonight. >> thank you very much. >>> still ahead, we'll dig into the bogus history behind mitt romney's false claim that president obama is apologizing for america. >>> plus, republicans think they are getting a voter i.d. is no big deal? well, we'll talk to a citizen who went through it and wants to correct the record. bob... oh, hey alex. just picking up some, brochures, posters copies of my acceptance speech. great! it's always good to have a backup plan, in case i get hit by a meteor. wow, your hair looks great. didn't realize they did photoshop here. hey, good call on those mugs. can't let 'em see what you're drinking. you know, i'm glad we're both running a nice, clean race. no need to get nasty. here's your "honk if you had a

officials believe the radical islamic group, ansar al sharia, an offshoot of al qaeda is behind the deadly attacks. president obama issued a warning to terrorists. >> i want people around the world to hear me to all those who would do us harm. no act of terror will go unpunished. >> reporter: the political short fallout here continues. stemming from mitt romney's criticism of president obama's handling of the embassy attacks. >> the next president of the united states, mitt romney! . >> reporter: at a rally in virginia a protester cut romney off when he started to talk about libya. >> what a tragedy to lose a wonderful -- a wonderful. >> reporter: mitt romney's attacks of the president the day after the libyan killings leaving some to believe he may have acted too soon. >> they realize they may have jumped the gun. don't get your foot into something and have the waters change between when you stepped in and when you're ready to make your move. >> reporter: from air force one president obama called republican congressional leaders to thank them for not joining romney's attacks. secretary of

they stormed four bases belonging to the fighter groups, including radical islamists ansar al sharia, suspected of attacking the u.s. consulate. facing popular anger like this, the fighters fled. we arrived at one base just after the official libyan army had taken control. was this built as a prison? they showed us the makeshift jail where dozens had, until an hour before, been locked up at the fighters' mercy. later, near midnight, hundreds of citizens, most young men, drove to a bigger base on the edge of town. that's when the looting and the shooting started, catching us in the crossfive. >> get down. get down. >> reporter: it's still not clear who was firing or why. but by the time it was over, at least 30 were injured, and 11 dead. by morning, regular libyan army soldiers had secured this base, too, an apparent triumph for the citizens. >> i'm happy, me and all the citizens in benghazi are all very happy, very, very, very happy. >> reporter: but this may not be victory, just a cease-fire, while the fighters regroup for a comeback. >> axelrod: liz palmer joins us now from benghazi

suspicions for the attack have focused on a powerful islamic militia, ansar al sharia, so powerful our questions at the ministry made them nervous. >> your going to catch the guys who did this or are they too strong for you? no he admitted we don't have enough power to catch them. maybe not. but as far as the u.s. government is concerned doing nothing is not an option. the libyans know they have neither the technology nor the expertise to conduct a credible forensic investigation, so they are waiting for the fbi team to show up, they hope within the next two or three days. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, benghazi. >> funeral services were held i private security firm guarding the u.s. consulate. he was 41 years old. the surge of u.s. troops in afghanistan has officially ended. the last of the 33,000 americans sent by president obama to try to beat back the taliban have left the country. 58,000 americans remain in afghanistan, though. they hope to withdraw by 2014. the number of u.s. forces there peaked at 101,000 last year. the suspect in the colorado theater shooting appeared in court wit

suspicions for the attack have focused on a powerful islamic militia, ansar al sharia, so powerful our questions at the ministry made them nervous. >> your going to catch the guys who did this or are they too strong for you? no he admitted we don't have enough power to catch them. maybe not. but as far as the u.s. government is concerned doing nothing is not an option. the libyans know they have neither the technology nor the expertise to conduct a credible forensic investigation, so they are waiting for the fbi team to show up, they hope within the next two or three days. elizabeth palmer, cbs news, benghazi. >> funeral services were held in california for former navy s.e.a.l. tyrone woods. woods had been a s.e.a.l. for two decades and working for a private security firm guarding the u.s. consulate. he was 41 years old. the surge of u.s. troops in afghanistan has officially ended. the last of the 33,000 americans sent by president obama to try to beat back the taliban have left the country. 58,000 americans remain in afghanistan, though. they hope to withdraw by 2014. the number of u.

the chaos it was impossible to tell where the ousted fighters escaped to, including members of ansar al-sharia, the group suspected of attacking america's consulate. but even if the police knew where to find them, says jalal elgallal, a businessman and activist, they're too afraid to arrest them. so they're scared? >> they are. and anybody that says otherwise ybodying. we're all scared. so there's a good chance these suspected perpetrators won't be investigated, let alone arrested or tried. it's a distinct possibility. >> pelley: liz palmer joins us now in benghazi. liz, i wonder, is the u.s. consulate being guarded now? is there anybody there? >> yes. it was unguarded for about 48 hours after the attack and then the libyan defense ministry sent round about five guards who sit in a row of chairs along the main gate and don't let anybody in. i was able a few days ago to convince them to let me stick my head round just to have a peep inside but they haven't let anybody inside since 12 days ago. ay pelley: liz, thanks very much. our correspondent john miller is leining us now. he's a former assis

unanimous in saying ndey suspect members of one of the fundamentalist islamist militias, one called ansar al sharia. the trouble is they are extremely powerful and well armed, and one security official told us today that even if the government did decide to go in and arrest some of the members, they're not sure that wouldn't start a battle that the government couldn't win. >> pelley: and, elizabeth, you were telling me earlier today that you actually met with one of the men that the government considers to be a prime suspect in this case. tell me about that. metheporter: well, the libyan president confirmed to us that this man is suspected of having had something to do with this adtack. he came and sat down and had mango juice with us and said, "i had nothing to do with the attack." but furthermore, he said, "i haven't even been questioned. they may be alleging this about me, but if they really believe it, why haven't they come to my house?" so it seems that the libyan government is stalling, procrastinating, probably very rtrvous and hoping to come up with a plan that doesn't start a-- some kind o

suspicion for the attack is focused on a powerful islamist militia, ansar al-sharia-- so powerful that our questions at the interior ministry made the spokesman very nervous. are you going to catch the guys who did this, or are they too strong for you? "no," he admitted. "we don't have enough power to catch them." maybe not, but as far as the u.s. government is concerned, doing nothing is not an option. >> pelley: elizabeth palmer joins us in benghazi. liz, you mentioned the f.b.i. investigation. when is that going to get under way? >> reporter: we spoke to the benghazi attorney general this morning, and he knows the libyans have neither the expertise nor the technology to do any kind of proper forensic investigation. basically, the libyans are now waiting for the f.b.i. to arrive here and lead the way, he hopes, within two or three days. >> pelley: liz, thank you. tyrone woods was laid to rest in san diego today. he was one of the american guards who died defending the embassy personnel in the benghazi attack. woods was a former navy seal who was working for a private security firm. h

. >> reporter: a radical islamic group called ansar al-sharia is, according to u.s. officials, the leading suspect in the attack. the name means "supporter of islamic law" and u.s. officials describe it as an offshoot of al qaeda. at least one of the attackers was photographed at the scene. and libyan officials claim to have already made arrests. attorney general eric holder cut short an overseas trip to return to washington, and a law enforcement source said the f.b.i. would begin the investigation by interviewing the 30 american survivors of the attack who are now at a u.s. military wais in germany. the attackers struck at 10 p.m. local time tuesday and within 15 minutes were inside the compound firing on the main building where ambassador chris stevens, information manager sean smith, and a security officer had already begun destroying classified documents. smoke and flames from a rocket- propelled grenade which exploded on the roof, drove the security officer of the building, but he went back in to find stevens and smith. state department spokeswoman victoria nul

the evidence points to a joint operation between al-qaeda affiliate in north africa and with ansar al-shariare not directly affiliated with al-qaeda but aah sports the establishment of an islamic state. they said there is no evidence that the amateurish video clip prompted the attack. >>> last monday, fox news was first to report there was no significant or sizeable demonstration at the consultate when the attack unfolded. it was not a demonstration that pun out of control that led to the assault. the chairman telling us this morning that fact very publicly. >> i have seen no information that shows that there was a protest going on as you have seen around any other embassy at the time. it was clearly designed to be an attack. >> the fbi here in washington is not commenting on the status of the investigation but we know they do have agents on the ground, doug. >> interesting about the role that the movie or alleged movie. i don't think anybody has seen the movie, we have seen you tube clips of trailers. how two different narrate ives are emerging about this. >> the private narrative and then

a peaceful protest turned violent protestors targetinglet compound of ansar al-sharia. members of that group were tied to the killing of ambassador stevens and three others. on saturday. they announced they are leaving benghazi and just in the last few hours word coming that that gloup is disbanding and leaving along with another millitia city. it is a stronghold. the libyan president was in benghazi today, too. harris. >> how does this impact the investigation and killings of ambassador and other three americans? >> harris, on the face of it it is a good thing. extremist and those with possible ties to al-qaida are being singled out by the libyan people and getting if you would like get rough street justice. however, there are two possible complications. first if these groups are disbanding and if they are dispersing, it might be harder to find those responsible for the killing of u.s. ambassador chris stevens and three others. and stockholderly, the situation in benghazi is unsettled and we are seeing a lot of violence security is bad. from our indication fbi team tha

that the evidence points to a joint operation between the al qaeda affiliate in north africa and ansar al-sharia. they are not afailiated with al qaeda, but they support the establishment of an islamic state. as for the catalyst, the head of the house intelligence committee saying there is no strong evidence that the amateurish video clip prompted the attack, adding in a meeting by the secretary of state and director of national intel jeps, the administration clung to that explanation. >> i think they doubled down and bought that they were boxed in a corner and they had to double down. >> it was confusing to me. i didn't understand why they chose to do that. i think they made a mistake by buying the advertisement in pakistan. the administration gave credibility to this video that certainly nobody in america had seen. and very few across the middle-east-- >> reporter: and the latest informs on the fbi is that they have been in libya for almost a week, but they have yet to reach the actual site of the attack in benghazi and it would be safe to say that nearly 2 weeks after that assault, that the c

jon: catherine herridge reported that ansar al sharia, the libyan offshoot of al qaeda, reportedly mayn this. what do you know about that group? >> well i mean, these groups are all popping up all over the place. they share a common ideology. they hate the west, you know. these were the kinds of groups that moammar gadhafi was working with the united states to keep under control. now that gadhafi is gone, as evil as he was, these groups are now coming up throughout that whole area and they're testing our defenses and they're testing the willingness of the governments that are now in place to defend american interests. you know, we saw what happened on tuesday. we see what's happening now through the week. the real telling tale may be tomorrow. how far will these protests spread on a friday which is the day of prayer for the muslim world? jon: so you expect that things could get worse tomorrow? >> oh, i think over the next, tomorrow will be one sign but over the coming weeks i expect that america is going to be very vulnerable. remember what did al qaeda, what did the radical groups lea

of different individuals who were there, a lot of fingers pointing to an organization called ansar al sharia. they are an al qaeda affiliated group. they have direct responsibility for the assaults but many people believing that they were in fact somehow to some degree involved in this. they have claimed responsibilities for various attacks against western interests in the past. this attack is not an isolated incident. there's been mounting attacks against western interests, the icrc, the uk ambassador over the past few months. many libyans who we have been speaking to have been imploring us to put out a message that this is not an action that was support by the population here. this is not why they went out the revolt against moammar gadhafi. this most certainly is not the course they want to see the country taking. many of them, all of them wanting to see the government disband these militias. the government is admitting at this point in time they are incapable of reining in these extremist gangs. >> arwa damon live in benghazi. thank you. putting us to work here in america and supporting

today the compound of ansar al-sharia was tarted. the safe house moved one mile away from the consultate were ambushed from a second location and that may mean they were killed by those tipped by insiders. >> judge jeanine: gentlemen, good evening. and thank you for being with us. >> hello. >> judge jeanine: all right, i will start with the attorney general. can you tell us why the administration was so slow in identifying this as an act of terror? >> you know, i assume, judge, that the reason they did what they did was, one, because they thought they could get away with pulling the aol over the eyes of the american people and two, they are afraid to have the weakness of their policy towards libya and to other key -- toward other key countries in the middle east exposed. you know, we are are sending the fbi over there now. why is that? why hasn't the fbi and other law enforcement and other u.s. agencies been there for the last year helping the good libyan people and there are good libyan people, help build the kind of law enforcement

as fox was first to report thursday a leading suspect is ansar al-sharia trying to establish a islamic state in eastern libya. they blame fighters from somalia and algeria for the assault. foreign fighters is code for al qaeda affiliated groups or jihadist. law enforcement and congressional sources tell fox they still don't have good visibility who the people are and basis for the arrest suggesting 50 are under investigation and a handful of actual arrests have taken place a libyan security guard told the mcclatchy newspapers and this is a significant development, there were no protests before the benghazi attack. the assault didn't begin until 9:35 that evening. there wasn't a single person outside the libyan security guard told the reporter from the mcclatchy newspapers. wouldn't you expect if there were others outside the americans would leave? fox news was told investigators are reviewing incidents over the last three months. four attacks beginning june 6th with an ied was thrown at the u.s. consulate perimeter. mid-june the u.k. ambassador's was struck by a rpg. late august the u.

the chaos it was impossible to tell where the ousted fighters escaped to, including members of ansar al-sharia, the group suspected of attacking america's consulate. but even if the police knew where to find them, says jalal elgallal, a businessman and activist, they're too afraid to arrest them. so they're scared? >> they are. and anybody that says otherwise is lying. we're all scared. so there's a good chance these suspected perpetrators won't be investigated, let alone arrested or tried. it's a distinct possibility. >> pelley: liz palmer joins us now in benghazi. liz, i wonder, is the u.s. consulate being guarded now? is there anybody there? >> yes. it was unguarded for about 48 hours after the attack and then the libyan defense ministry sent round about five guards who sit in a row of chairs along the main gate and don't let anybody in. i was able a few days ago to convince them to let me stick my head round just to have a peep inside but they haven't let anybody inside since 12 days ago. >> pelley: liz, thanks very much. our correspondent john miller is joining us now. he's a former assis

suspicion for the attack is focused on a powerful islamist militia, ansar al-sharia, so powerful, that our questions at the interior ministry made spokesman pe pez very nervous. are you going to catch the guys who did this, or are they too strong for you? "no," he admitted. with the we don't have enough pow to catch them" maybe not, but as far as the u.s. government is concerned, doing nothing is not an option. >> pelley: elizabeth palmer jonesinous benghazi. liz, you mentioned the f.b.i. investigation. when is that going to get under way? >> reporter: we spoke to the benghazi attorney general this morning and he knows the libbians have neither the expertise nor the technology to do any kind of proper frepsic investigation. basically, the libyans are waiting for the f.b.i. to arrive here and leave the way, he hopes within two or three days. >> pelley: liz, thank you. tyrone woods was laid to rest in san diego today. he was one of the american guards who died defending the embassy personnel in the benghazi attack. woods was a former navy seal who was working for a private security firm.

and the evidence points to a joint oranges between the al-qaeda affiliate in north african and ansar al shariaand it supports the establishment of an islam state. as for the catalyst, the head of the house intelligence committee saying there's no strong evidence the amateurish video clip on youtube prompted the benghazi assault. last monday fox news was first to report there was no sizable demonstration at the consulate when the attack unfolded. it was not a demonstration that led out of control that led to the attack. the chairman. house committee state that had today. >> i see no information showing there was a protest going on as you've seen around any other embassy. it was clearly designed to be an attack. >> the washington in not commenting, but agents are on the ground in libya. >> let's stay with libya just a moment, something maybe two people could have seen coming, a slip there in the violence, now it's aimed at the extremists behind the terror attack that killed our ambassador and other three americans, libya's president, ordered all rogue, unregistered militias to disband by tuesday

unanimous in saying they suspect members of one of the fundamentalist islamist militias, one called ansar al sharia. the trucial is they are extremely powerful and well armed, and one security official told us today that even if the government did decide to go in and arrest some of the members, they're not sure that wouldn't start a battle that the government couldn't win. >> pelley: and, elizabeth, you were telling me earlier today that you actually met with one of the men that the government considers to be a prime suspect in this case. tell me about that. >> reporter: well, the libyan president confirmed to us that this man is suspected of having had something to do with this attack. he came and sat down and had mango juice with us and said, "i had nothing to do with the attack." but furthermore, he said, "i haven't even been questioned. they may be alleging this about me, but if they really believe it, why haven't they come to my house?" so it seems that the libyan government is stalling, procrastinating, probably very nervous and hoping to come up with a plan that doesn't start a-- some kind o

a joint operation between the al-qaeda and affiliate in north africa and al sharia. ansarin learn libya, on 9-13 two days after the attack, there does appear to be insider help and one thing for sure, the brigade was nowhere to be found and americans were left on their own and the assaults on the stevens compound. on the hill this week, republican senator susan collins, however, there was collusion between the guards and terrorists. was there any indication there were communications between extremist elements and the guards, the libyan guards that were assigned to the consulate? >> in the immediate aftermath -- or $. >> prior. >> prior to, i think that that's-- that question, i think, would be better addressed in the session that we're going to have tomorrow. >> what's even more surprising is that this issue of insider help is not new. in the summer british ambassador's convoy was attacked in benghazi with an rpg, rocket propelled grenade and expected insider. and the consulate was closed and the american consulate remained open. . >> catherine herridge with details unfold

and those people included one armed brigade, the islamist militia ansar al-sharia as well as other supporters. not everyone was armed. they were milling around together and then as best i'm able to understand around 9:00 at night somebody fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the gates of the consulate. and the consulate is not the kind of well fortified diplomatic outpost you might be picturing. it's basically a villa. a nice house on the outskirts of town with four security cameras on the fence, four guards two of whom are basically taking your cell phone on the way in. so it was very lightly defended and not ready for any kind of a siege. and after that, things got out of hand quite quickly. i think a number of grenades were probably fired. the protesters stormed the building and set it on fire. and then other libyans arrived, a brigade that is now doing business as the national army came and began fighting with the islamists on the other side of the compound but as far as i can tell from the people i've talked to on the scene, you know, by 10:00 or 11:00 at night the ambassador, chris steve