As the fallout from an online film that mocks Islam’s holy prophet continued Tuesday, Al Qaeda’s affiliate in North Africa urged Muslims in the region to kill US government representatives and called the death of Ambassador Chris Stevens a ‘gift’.

“We encourage all Muslims to continue to demonstrate and escalate their protests ... and to kill their (American) ambassadors and representatives or to expel them to cleanse our land from their wickedness,” said the statement from al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.