Benghazi, Libya - FBI investigators probing the U.S. Consulate killings in Libya put off a visit there until conditions in the volatile region are safer.
Agents hoped to arrive on Saturday but reconsidered because of the instability sweeping across Libya and throughout the region, federal law enforcement officials said.
One source said there's nothing to be gained by putting additional people in harm's way when the situation on the ground remains volatile. It's hard to say when the situation will become stable enough for the FBI to visit, the officials said.
"Safety comes first," one source said.
Agents are now conducting interviews with witnesses outside the country, including people who've been evacuated.
"The more people you bring over there, the more people you have to worry about," he told CNN.
Militants on Tuesday, the anniversary the September 11, 2001, attacks, stormed the consulate in Benghazi, killing U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
Libyan officials believe it was a planned assault that used a protest over a film mocking the Prophet Mohammed as a diversion. Rage over the film across the Muslim world has made the region dangerous terrain for Westerners.
The federal sources say the crime scene at the consulate is far from pristine. They say many people, including journalists, have been inside the charred remains of the compound, but they insist evidence can still be gathered.
Don Borelli, a retired FBI agent, said the bureau will want to keep a low footprint but create a team big enough to get the job done. Agents must consider security and logistical issues, he said.
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