The deadly attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, has raised questions about whether al-Qaida has been revitalized amid the chaos of the Arab Spring or is being used as a scapegoat, The New York Times reported. Libya's National Congress blamed the attack on foreign fighters from North Africa with links to al-Qaida, while Libyan militia leaders insist that the Islamist militants responsible for the violence were the homegrown Ansar al-Sharia brigade. Senior Obama administration officials say they have not seen indications of al-Qaida movement, leading intelligence analysts to consider whether Ansar fighters and al-Qaida operatives communicated before the attacks. However, at the heart of the debate is the reality that the "al-Qaida" name has been given a second life as a catch-all for Islamist militants. Militants with little connection to the group use the al-Qaida name to exaggerate their threat. "The big name, al-Qaida, can mobilize people," said an expert in Cairo.
