Libyan President: YouTube Video NOT Cause of Attack in Libya. It was Terrorism. (Video)

Libyan president Mohammed Magarief continues to insist that the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, was a pre-planned terror attack and that the obscure YouTube video had nothing to do with it. Ann Curry from NBC’s The Today Show interviewed him today. Here are video and transcript:

Other video sources: Here, and here.

Transcript via NewsBusters: ANN CURRY: Would you call the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi an act of terrorism? MOHAMMED MAGARIEF: I have no doubt about that, and it’s a pre-planned act of terrorism directed against American citizens. CURRY: What is your evidence that it was a pre-planned act of terrorism? MAGARIEF: Number one, is choosing the date, the eleventh of September has all the significance. If we take all the facts about the way it was executed. You can see there’s enough proof that it is a pre-planned act of terrorism. CURRY: Describe the attack based on your investigation. MAGARIEF: It’s too early for me to give the details about this, but it was launched with a high degree of accuracy which means the perpetrators must have had some kind of exercise on how to hit and launch these rockets. CURRY: You’re confirming that RPG’s were used in the initial attack? MAGARIEF: Mortars. CURRY: Mortars were use in the subsequent attack. MAGARIEF: At the safe house, yes. CURRY: And do you know how many mortars were used? MAGARIEF: About five. CURRY: And you’re saying these were fired with such accuracy. MAGARIEF: Yes. CURRY: That this could not have been done by someone who did not have experience? MAGARIEF: Experience and knew what he was doing. CURRY: And this is what is helping convince you that this was a pre-planned attack, not a reaction to a controversial movie? MAGARIEF: Yes. I have no doubt about this. CURRY: Do you think the movie had anything to do with this attack on the consulate? MAGARIEF: Not on this attack, it has nothing to do with this attack. CURRY: So do you know then who is behind this attack and what the motive was? MAGARIEF: I think it has Al Qaeda elements, hiding in Libya. CURRY: Is there any direct evidence that it is Al Qaeda behind this attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi? MAGARIEF: So far not. So far not. As the investigation progresses, there is the likes of that that will show that the attack on the consulate was pre-planned with the intention of killing Ambassador Stevens, that’s too early to say. MATT LAUER: The Libyan president went on to tell Ann at least 40 people have been interrogated. Still no mastermind has been arrested, but he’s confident that it will happen.