The State Department today designated three Ansar al Sharia organizations, as well as three of their leaders, as terrorist entities. The State Department reports that Ansar al Sharia in Derna was “involved” in the September 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi. Former Guantanamo detainee Sufian Ben Qumu, who long served al Qaeda, is named as “the leader” of Ansar al Sharia in Derna.

These details are important for our understanding of the Benghazi attack, but there is more to the designation that is worth notice. On September 14, 2012, just three days after the assault on the U.S. Mission and Annex in Benghazi, Ansar al Sharia Tunisia’s members ransacked the U.S. Embassy in Tunis, as well as a nearby school.  The attack caused millions of dollars in damage.