Benghazi Hit With Another Explosion One Year After U.S. Consulate Attack

A car bomb exploded outside of a Foreign Ministry building in Benghazi on Wednesday, just one year after the attack on the U.S. Consulate that hit the Libyan city and left U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans dead, TIME reported.

The explosion happened around 7 a.m. and did not cause any deaths. Most residents had not started their day yet and some said if the attack had happened hours later, there would have been casualities.

The bomb, which destroyed the vehicle it was planted in, damaged large parts of surrounding buildings according to Col. Abdullah Al Zaydi, spokesman for the Joint Security Task Force in Benghazi.

It also hit the Central Bank of Libya and slightly wounded one of their guards, according to the bank. Abdel Qader Mohammed, the branch director, said the blast caused "material damage" but did not damage their computer system.

In addition to Wednesday's attack marking the one-year anniversary of the U.S. consulate explosion, it came on the 12th anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks.

According to U.S. officials, some Marines have already been stationed near Libya in the event of another attack. CNN reported that 250 combat-ready troops were deported from their base in Moron, Spain to the U.S. naval installation in Sigonella, Italy -- allowing them to easily travel to Tripoli, the capital of Libya, in three to four hours.

In addition to the extra supply of U.S. soldiers near Libya, other forces are building up security at surrounding embassies as the time period around September 11 continues to pose a threat to the U.S.

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