Former U.S. Attorney Joe DiGenova shed new light on the circumstances surrounding the Sept. 11, 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack Monday on WMAL.

DiGenova, legal representative for Benghazi whistleblower Mark Thompson, revealed new information from intelligence officials with knowledge of the incident indicates the assault on the U.S. mission concerned 400 surface-to-air missiles intended for Syrian rebels that were stolen by some "very ugly people."

The intelligence community fears the stolen missiles could be used to shoot down an airliner or blow up an embassy, DiGenova said:

JOE DIGENOVA: We had troops ready to deploy in Croatia to go [to Benghazi] that night of Sept. 11, 2012 to rescue Americans. We have learned that one of the reasons the administration is so deeply concerned — we have been told there were 400 surface-to-air missiles stolen, and that they are on or about in the hands of many people, and that the biggest fear in the U.S. intelligence community is that one of these missiles will be used to shoot down an airliner.

[…]

This is why we shut down the 19 embassies recently. They were afraid that there was going to be a missile attack on one of the embassies. Remember, you can take a shoulder held missile and shoot it into an embassy, not just into the sky.

DiGenova went on to allege political concerns about the possibility of future terrorist acts involving the stolen weaponry were the reason the Obama administration initially blamed the attack on an anti-Islam video.

President Obama, DiGenova said, is attempting to "cover his fanny" by illegally publicizing an indictment of the Benghazi suspects to give the illusion "he's doing something when in fact he's done nothing":

JOE DIGENOVA: What happened is, the reason they lied, about — in other words, remember the famous demonstration, and the phony video and all of that? That's what this was all about. That's why they're so worried. That's why they have lied repeatedly about what happened in Benghazi. Because they are now responsible for all of the stepchildren of violence that happens as a result of this. This is a very serious manner. And when you compound it with the flippancy of the president of the United States who talks about a sealed indictment to cover his fanny — to make it look like he's doing something when in fact he has done nothing — we have reached a level of cynicism on the part of this president that is staggering.

Full interview: