Blast hits Benghazi 1 year later

BENGHAZI -- A car bomb exploded outside a Foreign Ministry building in the Libyan city of Benghazi Wednesday, state media said, on the anniversary of an assault on the U.S. Consulate there that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Christopher Stevens.

The blast did not cause any casualties but blew away large parts of the building's facade, said Col. Abdullah Al Zaydi, spokesman for the Joint Security Task Force in Benghazi, according to Libya's state news agency, LANA.

Zaydi said the explosion was very powerful and destroyed the vehicle used for the bombing, which contained a large quantity of explosives, the news agency said.

The blast also damaged a branch of the Central Bank of Libya and slightly injured one of its security guards, the bank said.

The branch director, Abdel Qader Mohammed, said the explosion caused "material damage" to the building, but its computer systems were not affected.

Benghazi resident Sami Berriwen told CNN he heard the blast in the eastern city at about 7 a.m. (1 a.m. ET.)

Berriwen, a university student, said that if the explosion had happened just an hour later, the street would have been full of people. He said most Benghazi residents walk the street to get to school and to work, but because it was early, no one was out yet.

Berriwen said he saw a fire truck but no casualties or ambulances at the scene.

For more on this CNN story, click here.