U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrives Tripoli

REUTERS

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns arrived in Tripoli on Thursday, a week after a deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in the eastern Libyan city of Benghazi.

Burns flew into the Libyan capital where he was due to meet new Prime Minister Mustafa Abu Shagour and Mohammed Magarief, head of the national congress, Libyan government officials said.

He was also scheduled to attend a ceremony commemorating U.S. ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, who died in last week's consulate attack in Benghazi, they said.

Stevens and three other Americans died when gunmen attacked the U.S. consulate and a safe house. The attackers were part of a crowd that blamed the United States for a video posted online that mocks the Prophet Mohammad, reports Reuters.

A top U.S. counter-terrorism official told Congress on Wednesday the assault on the consulate was a "terrorist attack" that may have had an al Qaeda connection.