WHERE WERE THE MARINES? !!!!! Attack on Embassy in Libya Was Planned in AdvanceBy Nathaniel Botwinick September 12, 2012 1:32 P.M. It appears that terrorists linked to al-Qaeda or other similar groups specifically targeted the United States as it was the anniversary of 9/11. The protests surrounding the movie were merely a ruse. According to CNN: Tuesday’s attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was planned in advance, and the attackers used the protest outside the consulate as a diversion, U.S. sources told CNN Wednesday.