A demonstrator in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday, September 12, holds a message during a rally to condemn the killers of the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, and three others during the attack on the U.S. Consulate. Photos: Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings 
Demonstrators on Wednesday gathered in Libya to condemn the killers and voice support for the victims in the attack on the U.S. Consulate and a safe house that was stormed by Islamist gunmen blaming America for a film they said insulted the prophet Mohammed. 
U.S. President Barack Obama makes a statement about the death of Stevens with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in the Rose Garden at the White House on Wednesday in Washington. 
A burnt vehicle is seen at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday, September 12, one day after armed men stormed the compound and launched a rocket-propelled grenade. The resulting fire left U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and and three other Americans dead. Stevens was trying to leave the consulate building for a safer location as part of an evacuation when gunmen launched an intense attack, apparently forcing security personnel to withdraw. 
People inspect the damage at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on Wednesday, the day after four people were killed. 
A small American flag is seen in the rubble at the U.S. Consulate on Wednesday. 
A man stands in part of the burned-out compound Wednesday. The attack came after intense demonstrations apparently sparked by a little-known film by an Israeli-American amateur filmmaker that angered Muslims as it was deemed insulting to the Prophet Mohammed. 
Smoke and fire damage is evident in this consulate building. 
Half-burnt debris and ash cover the floor of one of the consulate buildings. 
The U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday, September 11. 
A protester reacts as the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi is seen in flames Tuesday night. 
A vehicle and the surrounding area are engulfed in flames after it was set on fire inside the compound Tuesday. 
Flames erupt outside of a building in the U.S. consulate compound on Tuesday. 
A vehicle burns during the attack Tuesday on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi. 
Onlookers record the damage from the attack on Tuesday. 
Onlookers walk past a burning truck and building in the compound on Tuesday. 
A vehicle sits smoldering in flames on Tuesday. 
People duck flames outside a consulate building on Tuesday. Photos: Protesters storm U.S. Embassy buildings 
- Two U.S. warships are moving toward the Libyan coast, officials say
- Libya's prime minister denounces the "cowardly criminal act" in Benghazi
- U.S. officials think the attack was planned before protests over an anti-Muslim video
- Think tank: "Jihadists will want the world to believe that the attack is just a part of the protests"
Washington (CNN) -- The hunt for those who killed U.S. diplomatic staffers in Libya will include warships and surveillance drones as outraged Americans and Libyans deplore the violent killings.
The slain U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, helped save Libya's eastern city of Benghazi during last year's revolution. He died there Tuesday night, along with another diplomat and two State Department security officers, when a mob stormed the U.S. Consulate and set it ablaze.
The Benghazi consulate was one of several American diplomatic missions that faced protests after the online release of a film that ridiculed Muslims and depicted the Prophet Mohammed as a child molester, womanizer and ruthless killer.
But U.S. sources said Wednesday the four-hour assault in Benghazi had been planned beforehand, with the attackers using the protest as a diversion.
The investigation and quest for justice
Obama: 'Justice will be done' A senior U.S. official told CNN that American surveillance drones are expected to join the search for jihadists who may be tied to the attack. The drones are expected to gather intelligence that will be turned over to Libyan officials for strikes, the official said.
Libya: Consulate attack 'cowardice' Two American destroyers also are en route the Libyan coast, two U.S. officials told CNN. Both the USS Laboon and USS McFaul are equipped with satellite-guided Tomahawk cruise missiles that can be programmed to hit specific targets.
The move "will give the administration flexibility" in case the administration orders action against targets inside Libya, one senior official said. As of late Wednesday, the McFaul was making a port call on Mediterranean island of Crete, while the Laboon was outside Gibraltar, a few days away from Libya.
"We will not waver in our commitment to see that justice is done for this terrible act," President Barack Obama said. "And make no mistake, justice will be done."
Obama called newly-elected Libyan President Mohamed Magariaf on Wednesday, thanking him for his condolences for the deaths of the Americans.
"The two presidents agreed to work closely over the course of this investigation," the White House said in a statement. "(Obama) reaffirmed our support for Libya's democratic transition, a cause Ambassador Stevens believed in deeply and did so much to advance. He welcomed the election of a new prime minister yesterday to help lead the Libyan government's efforts to improve security, counter extremism, and (to) advance its democracy."
Speculation about links to 9/11 or the anti-Muslim video
Tuesday's attack took place on the 11th anniversary of the al Qaeda attacks on New York and Washington. But White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor said assigning any motive for the attack was "premature."
As for the anti-Muslim video that depicts Mohammed as a womanizer, child molester and ruthless killer, U.S. officials said they believe the attack was not prompted by the film, but was planned before protests erupted over the video.
A London think tank with strong ties to Libya speculated Wednesday that Stevens was the victim of a targeted al Qaeda revenge attack.
The assault "came to avenge the death of Abu Yaya al-Libi, al Qaeda's second in command killed a few months ago," the think tank Quilliam said Wednesday.
It was "the work of roughly 20 militants, prepared for a military assault," the think tank said, noting that rocket-propelled grenade launchers do not normally appear at peaceful protests, and that there were no other protests against the film elsewhere in Libya.
"Jihadists will want the world to believe that the attack is just a part of the protests against an amateur film produced in the U.S., which includes crude insults regarding the Prophet Mohammed. They will want the world to think that their actions represent a popular Libyan and wider Muslim reaction; thus, reversing the perception of jihadists being outcasts from their own societies," Quilliam president Norman Benotman said.
Libya's response and ties to the United States
Libyan leaders apologized for the attack, with Prime Minister Abdurrahim el-Keib calling it a "cowardly, criminal act."
Obama said that despite the inflammatory movie, the violence was unwarranted.
"Since our founding, the United States has been a nation that respects all faiths. We reject all efforts to denigrate the religious beliefs of others," he said. "But there is absolutely no justification for this type of senseless violence -- none."
Ambassador's killing shines light on Muslim sensitivities concerning Prophet Mohammed
The United States and Libya have embarked on a new relationship since rebels toppled longtime dictator Moammar Gadhafi last year.
U.S. and NATO warplanes helped the Benghazi-based rebellion against Gadhafi, who was wanted by the International Criminal Court for charges of crimes against humanity before the ruler was killed in October.
The jihadists suspected in Tuesday night's attack "are a very small minority" who are taking advantage of a fledgling democracy, said Ali Suleiman Aujali, the Libyan ambassador the United States.
Sources tracking militant Islamist groups in eastern Libya say a pro-al Qaeda group responsible for a previous armed assault on the Benghazi consulate is the chief suspect. A senior defense official told CNN the drones would be part of "a stepped-up, more focused search" for a particular insurgent cell that may have been behind the killings.
In June, a senior Libyan official told CNN that U.S. controllers were already flying the unmanned craft over suspected jihadist training camps in eastern Libya because of concerns about rising activity by al Qaeda and like-minded groups in the region.
Townsend: Libya has been suffering "fragile" security
How the attack happened
On Tuesday night, protesters were outside the consulate in Benghazi, demonstrating against the film "Innocence of Muslims," which reportedly was made in California by a filmmaker whose identity is unclear.
Eventually, a group of heavily armed militants "infiltrated the march to start chaos," according to Libyan Deputy Interior Minister Wanis al-Sharif.
Initial reports indicate the four-hour assault began around 10 p.m. as gunmen opened fire on the main compound of the U.S. Consulate complex. Within 15 minutes, the gunmen entered the building.
A senior U.S. official said a rocket-propelled grenade set the consulate ablaze. American and Libyan security personnel tried to fight the attackers and the fire.
As the fire spread, three people -- Stevens, Foreign Service information management officer Sean Smith and a U.S. regional security officer -- were inside a safe room, senior State Department officials said.
Smith was later found dead, apparently of smoke inhalation, officials said. It's unclear how Stevens died.
Two other Americans, whose names haven't been released, were killed and two others were wounded during a gunbattle between security forces and militants at the complex, a senior administration official said.
Libya struggling to deal with militants Pro-al Qaeda group seen behind deadly Benghazi attack
U.S. increases embassy security worldwide after Libya attack
Stevens was a 10-year veteran of the State Department, a husband and a father of two.
"He arrived on a cargo ship in the port of Benghazi and began building our relationships with Libya's revolutionaries," U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday. "He risked his life to stop a tyrant, then gave his life trying to build a better Libya."
CNN's Jomana Karadsheh, Elise Labott, Suzanne Kelly, Barbara Starr and Nic Robertson contributed to this report.
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