The US embassy in Cairo has reaffirmed that embassy staff took no part in the killing of protesters during the 25 January revolution. A statement released on Thursday afternoon reiterated that embassy vehicles were stolen and possibly involved in acts of violence during the revolution, but stressed that embassy staff played no part in the violence.
“There is absolutely no truth to reports that US embassy employees or diplomats were involved in hit-and-run incidents using US diplomatic vehicles, injuring or killing protesters in January 2011 in Cairo,” the statement read. “There is also no truth that the keys inside US diplomatic vehicles are coded and can only be used by US embassy employees.”
Responding to rumours that embassy vehicles were used in acts of violence, the US embassy said that if the rumours are true, then the embassy deplores “these acts and the perpetrators.” The embassy did confirm that some vehicles were stolen on January 28 2011.
The statement comes at a time when US embassies across the world are increasingly becoming the site of large-scale protests and, in some incidents, violence.
Protests broke out in September blaming the US for the creation of a movie offensive to Islam and protesters demanded action be taken against its American creator. In Libya armed militants used the protest as cover to target embassy staff in Benghazi, killing the
US ambassador and three others. Recent investigations have indicated that the use of military-grade equipment points at extensive preparation.
The investigation by an independent panel revealed severe shortcomings in providing security at the Benghazi embassy and other missions around the world. The findings concluded that the state department had failed to provide adequate security for a mission
as sensitive as the one in Benhgazi. As a response to the investigation, the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton pledged in December she would do her utmost to push for changes in security protocols at foreign missions.
