US President Barack Obama's administration is facing new questions over the attack on the US consulate in Libya, amid reports of military preparations to target those behind it. A Congressional committee asked whether repeated requests for more security at the Benghazi consulate were rejected. The US ambassador was among four Americans killed on 11 September. The US is gathering intelligence ahead of a possible military operation against those implicated, US media say.

In the wake of the attack on the US embassy, Libya’s new government has proposed a worrying State of Emergency law that if put into action would rob citizens of the freedoms they fought so hard for. The draft would grant the authorities powers that clearly infringe on individual freedoms – such as the right to intercept communications of any kind and impose controls on the media.

A media rights watchdog said Monday it is concerned freedom of information is under threat in Libya due to visa refusals for foreign journalists, bans on films and arbitrary arrests. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) said it was 'very worried by the signs of a decline in respect for freedom of information… since the election of the General National Congress on 7 July.'