Key participant in 2012 Benghazi attack has been brought to U.S. to face charges, DOJ says
A key participant in the 2012 attack on a U.S. diplomatic mission in the Libyan city of Benghazi that killed four Americans has been turned over to the United States to face charges, Justice Department officials announced Friday.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Zubayr al-Bakoush landed in the United States at 3 a.m. Friday and will be tried in federal court in the District of Columbia. Authorities did not say how long he had been in custody or where he was apprehended.
“Al-Bakoush will now face American justice on American soil,” Bondi said.
The indictment charges al-Bakoush with crimes including the murder of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith, the attempted murder of State Department Special Agent Scott Wicklund and arson, said U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Jeanine Pirro.
It was unclear whether al-Bakoush had a lawyer representing him.
Al-Bakoush is the third person arrested by US authorities in connection with the Benghazi attack.
Mustafa al-Imam was captured in 2017 by a team consisting of US special forces and members of the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and later sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Ahmed Abu Khattala, one of the accused masterminds of the attack, was captured in 2014 by the FBI and special forces. He was convicted in 2017 and sentenced to 22 years in prison a year later.
The 2012 attack on the US compound in Benghazi immediately became a divisive political issue.
Republicans have accused President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton of failing to protect Americans and questioned the administration’s account of how they responded during the 13-hour siege.
House Republicans launched six investigations into the Obama administration’s handling of the Benghazi attack and aggressively questioned Clinton for hours.
Democrats accused Republicans of using the investigation to hurt Clinton’s chances for the presidency.
Ultimately, a Republican-led panel released an 800-page report criticizing the Obama administration for not responding more quickly to the attacks. But the report found no wrongdoing on Clinton’s part.
The criminal case against al-Bakoush was first filed under the Obama administration in 2015 and remained sealed for more than a decade. This was announced Friday by Bondi, Pirro and FBI Director Kash Patel, who all praised the work of law enforcement officers.
“President Trump is ensuring that American justice is served for the individuals responsible for the deaths of these four Americans,” Pirro said.
