Indeed, Stevens sent a cable to Washington on September 11 recounting the locals' concerns about the lawlessness. The Libyan government had yet to stand up a proper police force, and violence had been intermittent all summer-some random and criminal, some targeted against Westerners. Benghazi, on the other hand, was dodgier. In the main residence, a steel grate could be dropped and locked, turning half the building into a safe haven within that, moreover, was a smaller room, even more isolated, with food and water and medical supplies and no exterior exposure.Ĭhâteau Christophe was reasonably secure for the ambassador's business trip. Screens in the tactical-operations center monitored the security cameras mounted on the perimeter. There were steel drop bars at the gates to control vehicles coming in and concrete Jersey barriers both inside and out to prevent a ramming attack. The wall surrounding it was nine feet high and topped with an additional three feet of concertina wire. The property was 300 yards deep and a hundred yards wide, which gave the buildings a significant setback from outside attacks. Still, Château Christophe was not unprotected. As a temporary mission-as opposed to a more formal consulate or embassy-the facility was less fortified than many U.S.
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