Chris Stevens, U.S. ambassador to Libya killed in rocket attack, served as envoy during revolution
Initial reports said the slain embassy staffers—who also include foreign service information management officer Sean Smith—were trying to flee the consulate building when they were fired upon. But according to the Associated Press, a Libyan doctor who treated Stevens said the diplomat died of severe asphyxiation from smoke inhalation and that he tried for 90 minutes to revive him.
Stevens, 52, was the first U.S. ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979, when Adolph Dubs, U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan, was gunned down in a kidnapping attempt.
[Also read: President Obama's statement on attack in Benghazi]
"Throughout the Libyan revolution, [Stevens] selflessly served our country and the Libyan people at our mission in Benghazi," Obama said. "As ambassador in Tripoli, he has supported Libya's transition to democracy. His legacy will endure wherever human beings reach for liberty and justice. I am profoundly grateful for his service to my administration, and deeply saddened by this loss."
Stevens, a California native and U.C.-Berkeley grad, was a 21-year veteran of foreign service, the White House said.
"I had the privilege of swearing in Chris for his post in Libya only a few months ago," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said in a separate statement. "He spoke eloquently about his passion for service, for diplomacy and for the Libyan people. This assignment was only the latest in his more than two decades of dedication to advancing closer ties with the people of the Middle East and North Africa.
[Related: 'Innocence of Muslims': The film that sparked deadly U.S. Embassy attacks]
"As the conflict in Libya unfolded, Chris was one of the first Americans on the ground in Benghazi," Clinton continued. "He risked his own life to lend the Libyan people a helping hand to build the foundation for a new, free nation. He spent every day since helping to finish the work that he started. Chris was committed to advancing America's values and interests, even when that meant putting himself in danger."
"It's especially tragic because Chris Stevens died in Benghazi," President Obama said in hastily arranged public remarks in the Rose Garden of the White House Wednesday morning, "because it is a city he fought to save."
Here's Stevens' bio from the U.S. Embassy's website:
Ambassador Chris Stevens considers himself fortunate to participate in this incredible period of change and hope for Libya. As the President's representative, his job is to develop a strong, mutually beneficial relationship between the United States and Libya. Ambassador Stevens was the American representative to the Transitional National Council in Benghazi during the revolution."I had the honor to serve as the U.S. envoy to the Libyan opposition during the revolution," Stevens said in May in a video introducing himself to the Libyan people as the new U.S. ambassador there. "And I was thrilled to watch the Libyan people stand up and demand their rights."
When he's not meeting with government officials or foreign diplomats, you can find Ambassador Stevens meeting with Libyan academics, business people, and civil society activists, exploring Libya's rich archaeological sites, and enjoying Libya's varied cuisine.
After several diplomatic assignments in the Middle East and North Africa, Ambassador Stevens understands and speaks Arabic and French. He likes the Facebook page of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli and hopes you will, too.
[Slideshow: Gunmen storm U.S. consulate in Libya]
"Growing up in California I
didn't know much about the Arab world," Stevens continued. "I traveled
to North Africa as a Peace Corps volunteer, worked as an English teacher
in a town in the high Atlas mountains in Morocco for two years and
quickly grew to love this part of the world.
"We know Libya is still
recovering from an intense period of conflict," he added. "There are
many courageous Libyans who wear the scars of that battle."
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