U.S. ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens killed in attack . GRAPHIC

[Lady Cop]

U.S. ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three other embassy staff were killed in an attack in Benghazi on Wednesday, the White House confirmed on Wednesday.

President Obama strongly condemned the attacks, while also calling on embassies across the globe to increase security.

"Right now, the American people have the families of those we lost in our thoughts and prayers," Obama said. "They exemplified America's commitment to freedom, justice, and partnership with nations and people around the globe, and stand in stark contrast to those who callously took their lives."

The Americans were targeted in an attack in their car, trying to move to a safer venue away from the violent protests that erupted at the U.S. Consulate, Reuters reported. Stevens died of suffocation, while the three other personnel were killed by gunshot wounds, CBS News reports.

The Libyan official told Reuters the U.S. has transported the bodies on a military plane to Tripoli to fly them back to the U.S.

The protests broke out due to outrage linked to an American video posted online that many Muslims have found offensive. Soon after news of Ambassador Stevens' death broke, Afghan President Hamid Karzai condemned the "inhuman and abusive act" of the filmmakers, which he said, "has caused enmity and confrontation between the religions and cultures of the world," according to the Wall Street Journal.