"This clearly makes the FDP the third power among the parties in Germany, " the party's secretary-general Guido Westerwelle said after the vote.

BBC: German polls slash Green vote

Consul General Guido de Sanctis was in an armored car pulling out of the garage when the gunmen pulled up alongside the vehicle and opened fire, the diplomat told CNN.

CNN: Gunmen open fire on Italian consul's car in Benghazi