Ellison decries protest violence in Libya

Minnesota U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison says he is disturbed by attacks on U.S. diplomatic missions in Libya and Egypt and that violence is not justified by Muslim anger over a film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad.

The attacks Tuesday night in the Libyan city of Benghazi killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three members of his staff. Ellison released a statement Wednesday praising them as "brave public servants working tirelessly to improve relations with Egypt, Libya, and the rest of the world."

Ellison, a Democrat who was the first Muslim-American elected to Congress, called the U.S.-made film deeply offensive to Muslims and "designed to provoke." But he says protesters should have ignored the film, or peacefully condemned it without resorting to violence.

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