US state department contradicts original Benghazi account An armed man waves his rifle as buildings and cars are engulfed in flames after being set on fire inside the US consulate compound in Benghazi (AFP/Getty Images) They have claimed the state department turned down requests for extra security in Libya, despite the growing threat from Islamist militias and militants who had earlier attacked the British ambassador, Sir Dominic Asquith, in Benghazi, and even the US consulate compound itself. The administration is also accused of downplaying the possibility that the attack was a pre-planned assault by militants, possibly allied to al-Qaeda, partly because Mr Obama has set his successes against the group including the killing of Osama bin Laden at the heart of his campaign, and partly because of the criticisms over security. In the briefing, in advance of a congressional hearing set for later on Wednesday, there was no mention of the supposed protests on the night of the attack, September 11, and the streets around the consulate were described as "calm" beforehand. The officials then described an overwhelming attack in which security guards trying to rescue the ambassador, Chris Stevens, and another diplomat, Sean Smith, from the main consulate building were beaten back by force of numbers. The two diplomats had sought refuge with an armed bodyguard in a barred-off safe area within the building, but tried to escape as the building was set on fire. The decision of the bodyguard to leave first was described as "in line with protocol." He was suffering severely from smoke inhalation, but tried to return when the other two men failed to follow. He found Mr Smith, who was already dead, but couldn't locate Mr Stevens. Other members of the security detail, once they were able to get to the building, also looked for him without success. Mr Stevens was eventually found, still alive, by local people who flooded the compound as the attackers turned their attention to a second consulate building a mile away used as an accommodation annexe. He was taken to hospital, and was located there after his cell phone was called. The revelation that the Ms Rice's comments were not in line with state department conclusions, if verified, will put further pressure on the Obama campaign. At the same early stages of the investigation, the state department spokesman, Victoria Nuland, was careful to avoid making authoritative statements, but she also did not draw reporters away from the theory connecting the attack to the video. Two days afterwards, she told reporters: "We are very cautious about drawing any conclusions with regard to who the perpetrators were, what their motivations were, whether it was premeditated, whether they had any external contacts, whether there was any link (to protests elsewhere over the video)." But she added: "That said, obviously, there are plenty of people around the region citing this disgusting video as something that has been motivating."