Schedule for Amb. J. Christopher Stevens’s visit to Benghazi, Sept. 10-14, 2012 p.1

(Washington Post) – A sampling of the documents discovered by our reporter on Oct. 3, 2012, in the remains of the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya. The documents detail weapons collection efforts, emergency evacuation protocols, the full internal itinerary of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens’s trip to the city and the personnel records of Libyans who were contracted to secure the mission. The documents have been redacted by the Post to protect the identities of some individuals.

Open the following pdf document (8Mb) to view several security contracts and arrangements Sensitive letters found by WP reporter on US Consulate grounds

Schedule Ambassador Stevens between 10-14 September 2012
Security contract with Blue Mountain Libya – hourly wage 5.21 LYD ($4.16)
Contract for 3 guards Quick Reaction Force (QRF) from the 17th February Martyrs Brigade signed September 9, 2012 added
item 15. U.S. Mission Benghazi will provide housing for the above QRF personell (handwritten by Ambassador Stevens?)
NBC Evacuation Plan

    State Department stayed out of contractors’ dispute over consulate security, letters show

    The letters pertain to a dispute between Blue Mountain Libya, the security license holder in Libya, and its operations partner Blue Mountain UK, which trained and provided the local guards. A source with knowledge of two State Department meetings — one in June and a second in July — told Fox News that Blue Mountain Libya felt the security provided by the UK partner was “substandard and the situation was unworkable.” But according to the source, when the Libyans tried to bring in a third party — an American contractor — to improve security, a State Department contract officer declined to get involved.

Blue Mountain Security ..

Feds Hired British Security Firm Blue Mountain to Protect Benghazi Consulate

(Wired Room) – The State Department signed a six-figure deal with a British firm to protect the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya just four months before a sustained attack on the compound killed four U.S. nationals inside.

Contrary to Friday’s claim by State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland that “at no time did we contract with a private security firm in Libya,” the department inked a contract for “security guards and patrol services” on May 3 for $387,413.68. An extension option brought the tab for protecting the consulate to $783,000. The contract lists only “foreign security awardees” as its recipient.

The State Department confirmed to Danger Room that the firm was Blue Mountain, a British company that provides “close protection; maritime security; surveillance and investigative services; and high risk static guarding and asset protection,” according to its website. Blue Mountain says it has “recently operated in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, the Caribbean and across Europe” and has worked in Libya for several months since last year’s war.

Update [2012-10-18 05:05am EST by Oui]:

For Benghazi diplomatic security, U.S. relied on small British firm called Blue Mountain

GUARDS OF BENGHAZI

(Reuters) – Blue Mountain with its office in Carmarthen, Wales, hired about 20 Libyan men – including some who say they had minimal training – to screen visitors and help patrol the mission at Benghazi, according to Reuters interviews.

Some of the guards sustained injuries and said they were ill-prepared to protect themselves or others when heavily armed militants last month stormed the rented villa that was serving as the mission. They also described being hired by Blue Mountain after a casual recruiting and screening process.

State Department security officials had their own concerns about some of the guards at the mission months before the recent attack, according to emails obtained by Reuters this week. One guard who had been recently fired and another on the company’s payroll were suspected of throwing a homemade bomb into the U.S. compound in April. They were questioned but not charged.

Previously known as Pilgrim Elite, Blue Mountain says on its website that it offers security services and professional training and has operated in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan. A Blue Mountain recruiter posted a notice on a security website in 2011 seeking employees with visas to work in Libya.

The State Department contract for “local guard” services in Benghazi took effect in March 2012. Several of Blue Mountain’s Libyan employees told Reuters that they had no prior security training or experience.

“I was never a revolutionary or a fighter, I have never picked up a weapon during the war or after it,” said Abdelaziz al-Majbiri, 28, who was shot in the legs during the September 11 assault.

The Libyan commander in charge of the local guards at the mission was a former English teacher who said he heard about Blue Mountain from a neighbor. “I don’t have a background in security, I’ve never held a gun in my life,” he said, speaking on condition of anonymity out of fear for his safety.

When hired, the commander said he was told “you have great English and get along with everyone and are punctual; we want you to be a guard commander.”

More below the fold …

The State Department frequently hires security companies to protect diplomats in conflict zones. It usually is done through what’s known as the Worldwide Protective Services contract, in which a handful of approved firms compete to safeguard specific diplomatic installations. In 2010, State selected eight firms for the most recent contract. Blue Mountain wasn’t among them, and the State Department did not explain why the Benghazi consulate contract did not go to one of those eight firms.

Xe Services from Dubai awarded part of $10bn security contracts

…
The final modification to the contract came on June 15. It is unknown when Blue Mountain contractors arrived to help secure the consulate. The State Department would not specify how many guards Blue Mountain had posted in Benghazi during last week’s attack. (A department official said that Nuland misspoke about State not hiring private guards in Libya.)

Blue Mountain representatives have yet to respond to an inquiry about the contract. UPI reported in December that the firm “has been operating with Western companies in Libya for several months.”

Witness Abdulaziz Mezhbury security guard for Libyan-British security firm called Blue Mountain

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