Arrests After Deadly Libyan Embassy Attack

Libyan authorities investigating an attack on the US embassy in Benghazi have made four arrests.

US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other American officials died as gunmen protesting over a film they say insults the Prophet Mohammed fired rocket-propelled grenades and set fire to the US compound.

Libyan prime minister Mustafa Abu Shagur said a "big advance" had been made in the hunt for the killers.

He told the AFP news agency: "We have some names and some photographs. Arrests have been made and more are under way as we speak."

Two of those killed alongside Mr Stevens have been named as information management officer Sean Smith, and private security guard Glen Doherty.

US President Barack Obama has vowed to "bring to justice" those responsible.

The US military moved two navy destroyers towards the Libyan coast, in what administration officials said was a move to give the administration flexibility for any future action against Libyan targets.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has sharpened her criticism of the anti-Islam film that provoked the protests, calling it "disgusting and reprehensible".

The Innocence Of Muslims, which shows Mohammed having sex and calling for massacres, has been circulated on social media networks.

Anger over the film has already spread to other Middle East countries.

Up to 5,000 protesters attempted to storm the US compound in Sanaa, Yemen.

Hundreds got past two police barricades and managed to get through the main gate into the compound. They were then driven back by security forces firing weapons into the air.

TV pictures showed smoke rising from inside the complex, and demonstrators chanting "death to America". There have been reports that up to four people died during the protests.

In Egypt, protests continued for a second day outside the US embassy in Cairo.

Police were pelted with rocks and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.

However by Thursday evening more crowds had gathered as tensions continued to rise.

In Tunisia, police fired rubber bullets into the air to disperse a protest by around 200 people near the US embassy in the capital Tunis. There were also protests outside US embassies in Morocco, Sudan, and Iraq.

In Iraq, Qais al Khazali, leader of the Asaib al Haq militia, threatened to attack US targets in the country.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the Middle East region was at risk of descending into "chaos"