US catches suspect in 2012 Benghazi attack
October 31, 2017
US President Donald Trump said the militant, identified as Mustafa al-Imam, would be brought to the United States to "face justice."
In a statement, Trump said special operations forces acting on his orders, and in coordination with Libya's internationally recognized government, had detained the suspect in recent days.
Al-Imam is accused of being involved in the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound that killed US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans.
US officials told news agencies the militant had been captured in the northern city of Misrata and was being flown by military plane to the US where he is expected to face trial in a federal court.
He has been charged with "killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility" and providing "material support to terrorists resulting in death," the Justice Department said.
Second suspect to face trial
Trump's statement said the government was working to "find and bring the perpetrators of the heinous attacks in Benghazi to justice."
"To the families of these fallen heroes: I want you to know that your loved ones are not forgotten, and they will never be forgotten," it added.
Al-Imam is the second Benghazi suspect to be taken into US custody. The alleged mastermind of the attack, 46-year-old Ahmed Abu Khattala, is currently on trial in Washington after being captured during a raid in 2014. He has pleaded not guilty to the 18 charges against him, including murder of an internationally protected person and destroying US property while causing death.
Clinton under pressure
The Benghazi assault started in the evening of on September 11, 2012, when armed attackers scaled the diplomatic compound's wall and moved through the front gate before setting fire to the facility. Ambassador Stevens died of smoke inhalation in hospital, becoming the first US ambassador killed in the line of duty in more than three decades.
Hillary Clinton, who was US secretary of state at the time, faced heavy criticism over her response to the attack. Republicans accused the Obama administration of playing down the possibility of a terrorist attack because Clinton had initially said the violence was the result of a protest against an anti-Muslim video posted on YouTube.
Subsequent congressional hearings focused on Clinton's role and examined whether the government had misled the public. The investigation by the House Benghazi committee revealed that she had used a private email server for government work, prompting an FBI investigation.
Much of Libya has been gripped by instability since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011, opening up a power vacuum that rival militias — including some inspired by global jihadist groups — have sought to exploit.
nm/kl (Reuters, AFP, AP, dpa)