We have breaking news tonight in the wakeof the Libya tragedy. Late word tonight from the U.S. State Department they arepulling more staffers out of the embassy in Tripoli because of securityconcerns. Also tonight, and also security related, new details. They抮e comingin reaction to our exclusive reporting last night on how quickly officialsactually suspected that the killing of our Americans in Benghazi was an act ofterror, and how troubled the subsequent investigation into that deadly assaultwas turning out to be. Today, 16 days after the attack, Defense Secretary LeonPanetta stated plainly what was obvious to many, including Senator John McCainjoins us shortly almost from the beginning. 

As we determined that details of what tookplace there and how that attack took place, that it became clear that therewere terrorists who had planned that attack. 

Well, the best we can tell, this is thefirst time any administration officials has uttered the word planned todescribe what happened. Asked how long it took to reach his conclusion,Secretary Panetta said quote 揑t took awhile?once information from Benghazicame back. But Keeping them Honest multiple sources now tell 360 that officialsknew this was a terror attack almost from the get-go within 24 hours. At leastintelligence officials, yet this is what they were saying for more than a weekpublicly after the killing. 

It抯 important to know that there is an FBIinvestigation that has begun, and will take some time to be completed. Thatwill tell us with certainty what transpired, but our current best assessment,based on the information that we have at present is that in fact what thisbegan as was a spontaneous not a premeditated response to what had transpiredin Cairo. 

Now there are many possible explanationsfor why the administration took so long, so long to budge from that line,everything from an excess of caution to the fog of war to incompetence ordomestic politics. We don抰 have the answer nailed down on that. What we dohave though is a collection of inconsistencies between the administration lineand our own understanding of the facts. Now recall our exclusive reporting lastnight based on several sources that not one single FBI investigator has yet toeven set foot at the crime scene in Benghazi. That remains true tonight. Yetwhen asked to comment, an American official told us that FBI investigators onthe ground are not experiencing any roadblocks and are working well with Libyanofficials. That same official attributed the FBI抯 absence from Benghazi tosecurity concerns. 

Keeping them honest, though, Libya抯 newlyelected prime minister told CNN抯 Arwa Damon a full week ago that investigatorshad been invited into Libya and that the Libyans would provide any neededprotection. Whether or not the Libyan government could have delivered on thatpromise, we will never know. What we do know is that no FBI agents are inBenghazi, according to our reporting. The crime scene remains unprotected andsomehow the official line seems to be that everything is going fine with theLibyan government and the FBI investigation. As we said, new details tonight,CNN抯 Fran, national security analyst Fran Townsend got some of them. So didCNN contributor Bob Baer. Fran, of course, is the former White House homelandsecurity advisor, a current member of the CIA抯 External Advisory Board. Sherecently traveled to Libya with her employer, MacAndrews & Forbes. Bob is aformer CIA officer with deep experience in the Middle East and the Arab world.Also on the phone from Tripoli, CNN抯 Jomana Karadsheh. I guess I抦 just alittle surprised, Fran, how they can say that, I mean how they are paintingthat what抯 happening on the ground in Libya, especially based on what you arehearing from your sources. 

Look, look, Anderson, you know, there, wehave not, this is not the first international terrorism investigationregrettably going back to the East Africa embassy bombings in the late 90s, theUSS Cole in 2000. This is we understand how to do these. The FBI抯 got protocols about what does itlooks like when you have to deploy investigators and forensic folks to collectevidence overseas. So this is not the first time they抳e done it. Theyunderstand that in order to do that effectively, you have to have protection onthe ground. You抳e got to have somebody who can do a perimeter. You ask in thefirst instance the host government to do that. If for some reason the Libyanprime minister suggested to Arwa that they thought they could provide thatprotection safely, but even if U.S. officials had security concerns where theydidn抰 think that was enough, the next step is to ask the United Statesmilitary, can they, will they and can they provide protection and to get,request permission from the host government to allow them to come in, the U.S.forces, solely to protect the perimeter of the scene and the investigatorswhile they are there. And best we can tell, we don抰 know if that抯 everhappened.