Former Navy SEAL, Encinitas Resident, Among Dead in Libya Embassy Attack

One of the four Americans killed in Libya Tuesday was a former Navy SEAL turned author who is reported to have lived in Encinitas.

Glen A. Doherty's family spoke to the Boston Globe, saying the government had confirmed that he was killed while providing security at the U.S. embassy in Benghazi that was attacked by extremists. He had only departed San Diego for the assignment eight days ago.

Fox5 San Diego reports that he lived in Encinitas, where he also worked at the CrossFit/SEALFit gym.

The Huffington Post adds that Doherty had been concerned about religious intolerance within the Armed Forces and was active in trying to confront the issue.

Doherty hailed from Winchester, Mass., and entered the Navy when he turned 30, according to the Boston Globe report. He became a SEAL, his family said, and served in both Iraq and Afghanistan. 

He retired from the military about four years ago, and settled out West, where his sister said, “he loved to be.” Because of that, she added, the family has decided the West Coast will be his resting place.

Doherty, according to the report, helped write the 2010 book Navy SEAL Sniper: An Intimate Look at the Sniper of the 21st Century. He also has worked as a trainer and was a licensed pilot.

The embassy attack, in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens also was killed, has set off tensions and further protests in other countries, including Egypt and Yemen.

There is speculation as to the cause of the initial attack in Libya, whether it was sparked by a film, filmed in California, that mocked Islam, or was coordinated as part of an effort linked to the anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.