Italian prime minister Mario Monti has condemned as a "brutal act" the 11 September attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in which the US ambassador, Christopher Stevens, three other US embassy staff and at least 10 Libyans died. Monti pledged Italy's continuing support of the government of the new democratic Libya, which "we are sure will spare no effort in preventing Libya's new course from being hijacked."

Rome's mayor Gianni Alemanno has expressed sympathy on behalf of the capital "to the family of the ambassador and the other officials killed, to the government and the American people."

The US ambassador to Italy David Thorne said he knew Ambassador Stevens personally “and admired the tremendous courage he showed as he selflessly served our country and the Libyan people as one of the first Americans on the ground in Libya during their revolution."