Maltese government, Opposition condemn Benghazi consulate attack

Malta's Foreign Affairs Minister Tonio Borg and the Labour Party today condemned the attack that took place in Benghazi last night.

The attack left for US officials dead, including the US ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.

In his statement, Borg said the Maltese government categorically condemned the deadly attack on the US consulate.

"Stevens was a very hard-working man. The Maltese government expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims and the American authorities," Borg said.

The minister added that this "terrorist attack" shouldn't however hinder the democratic process which the neighbouring country has embarked on.

"The Maltese government believes that this should serve as further motivation to combat violence and for the democratic movement to prosper," Borg said.

He added that he had full trust in the Libyan authorities to ascertain that those guilty of the attack are caught and for justice to be made.

In a separate statement, the Labour Party also condemned the attack. The PL insisted that this attack shouldn't discourage those who have been working to free Libya from oppression and dictatorship.

"The road to democracy isn't easy and we are ready to help Libya in whatever it needs to see tolerance, peace, security and progress," the PL said.

During his visit to Malta, Italy's foreign minister Giulio Terzi condemned the terrorist attack.

"Ambassador Stevens was a very professional ambassador who was working very hard to promote good relations between Libya and the US," Terzi said.

"My country is engaged in full swing against terrorist. I have no doubt that this attack will however not interfere with the democratic process in Libya."

Meanwhile, the United States has deployed a marine anti-terrorism team to Libya to bolster security.

An anonymous official who spoke to international press agency AFP, confirmed that the "Marines were sending a FAST (Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team) team to Libya".

It is being reported that around 50 persons will form part of the unit.

The attack on the consulate started when a crowd had been angered over an amateur American-made film mocking Islam, after video clips from the movie had been posted on the Internet.

The low-budget movie, "Innocence of Muslims," in which actors have strong American accents, portrays Muslims as immoral and gratuitously violent.