Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed in unflinching terms the shock and grief caused by the attack yesterday on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya that took the lives of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three foreign-service staffers.

“This is an attack that should shock the conscience of all states around the world,” Clinton said, standing in a State Department foyer containing the wall where the names of U.S. diplomats who die in the line of duty are engraved.

Of Stevens, Clinton said the late ambassador had a longstanding affinity for the Middle East, especially Libya, where he served two terms as ambassador before last year’s civil war that resulted in the toppling of Moammar el-Qaddafi’s regime. During the conflict last year, Stevens was the United States’ liaison to the rebel forces that brought down Qaddafi; he returned to Libya as the U.S. ambassador earlier this year. Stevens, Clinton said, was “committed to helping the Libyan people reach for a better future.”

The attack on the consulate carried out Tuesday night by a armed mob angered the appearance of an American-made vi

Clinton forcefully reminded viewers of her speech that the attack that killed Stevens was in no part the work of the Libyan government. “This was an attack by a small and savage group, not the people or government of Libya,” she said. “Libyans carried Chris’s body to the hospital and helped others to be rescued.”

The secretary also noted the occasion of this attack. “It is especially difficult that this happened on September 11,” she said.

Following her remarks, Clinton departed for the White House, where she will join President Obama when he addresses the attack on the consulate at 10:35 a.m.