First State Department Benghazi photos released
After being sued under Freedom of Information (FOIA) law, the State Department released its first photos Thursday showing the aftermath of the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attacks on Benghazi.
According to the watchdog group Judicial Watch, which filed the lawsuit against the government, the seven photos "seem to depict portions of the so-called 'Special Mission Compound' in Benghazi, including: what appears to be a burned and ransacked building; at least two burned vehicles; and Arabic graffiti with militant Islamist slogans."
On their face, the photos seem to provide no great revelations. Nonetheless, the images are the first ones provided by the State Department under FOIA and only after Judicial Watch filed a lawsuit. It's unclear why the State Department previously withheld the images from public disclosure.
Last year, CBS News filed a FOIA request for the images and other images, video and documents related to the Benghazi terrorist attacks, but the State Department still has not responded to that request.
