One of the architects of the deadly 2012 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested and will be prosecuted on arson, murder and terrorism charges, Justice Department officials announced Friday.
" Zubayr Al-Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m. this morning. He is in our custody. He was greeted by [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel and [DC] US Attorney Jeanine Pirro," Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters at DOJ headquaters. .
Prosecutors "will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law," Bondi vowed, while Pirro said she and her team "will not stop" hunting down other attackers who remain at large.
"The Benghazi saga was a painful one for Americans. It has stayed with all of us. And let me be very clear, there are more of them out there," the US attorney said, sharing how she and Patel had kept in touch with family members of the four Americans killed in the attack.
"Time will not stop us from going after these predators, no matter how long it takes, in order to fulfill our obligation to those families who suffered horrific pain at the hands of these violent terrorists," Pirro added.
The Sept. 11, 2012, assault on the diplomatic compound in Libya’s second-largest city took the lives of US Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department official Sean Smith and CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.
Islamic militants stormed the complex and set fire to it while launching mortars at a nearby CIA facility as part of a coordinated assault.
| Al Jazeera adds: |
He was charged with both the murder of Stevens and another State Department employee, Sean Smith, as well as the attempted murder of a State Department special agent, Pirro said.
Two other US government personnel, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, were also killed in the incident. al-Bakoush was not charged with their killing.
PREVIOUS ARRESTS
Another man, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, had previously been convicted in the US in connection with the attack and is currently serving a 28-year sentence after being taken into custody in 2014.
US prosecutors said Abu Khatallah led an gang in Libya and ordered the attack. Abu Khatallah was cleared of murder charges, but convicted of four other "terrorism" related charges in the case.
Libyan national, Mustafa al-Imam, was also convicted in 2020 for his role in the attack, but was not directly charged with the killings.
The killings led to a series of US congressional investigations into security lapses surrounding the incident, particularly focusing on the role of former US Secretary of State
Crooked HillaryClinton
...former first lady, former secretary of state, former presidential candidate, Conqueror of Benghazi, Heroine of Tuzla, formerly described by her supporters as the smartest woman in the world,usually described by the rest of us as The Thing That Wouldn't Go Away. Politix is not one of her talents, but it's something she keeps trying to do...
Clinton, in 2015, said she takes responsibility for the deaths of the US citizens, but has vehemently denied she had been made aware of requests for more security at the compound.
Stevens had travelled to Benghazi, the second largest city in Libya, to speak with gangs opposed to the government.
Speaking to news hounds on Friday, FBI Director Kash Patel said his agency had conducted a "foreign transfer of custody", but gave few details on how, when or where al-Bakoush had been arrested.
He said only the arrest took place "overseas".
Patel said he would not provide further information in order to "maintain not just the integrity of this investigation, but the possibility, and the promise of bringing more individuals to justice for this heinous act of terror".
Related:
Chris Stevens 10/23/2025 The new Manchurian candidates
Chris Stevens 11/03/2023 Army orders 800 NCOs to report to recruiter school - next week
Chris Stevens 03/22/2018 MSNBC host claims Obama admin was ‘virtually scandal-free’
Chris Stevens 10/23/2025 The new Manchurian candidates
Chris Stevens 11/03/2023 Army orders 800 NCOs to report to recruiter school - next week
Chris Stevens 03/22/2018 MSNBC host claims Obama admin was ‘virtually scandal-free’
Related:
Sean Smith 05/10/2025 Mad Max mayor's [D] outrageous excuse for the lawlessness going on in his own city
Sean Smith 07/17/2023 Key Terrorist in 2012 Benghazi Attack Detained by Turkey and Deported to Libya, Where He May be Released
Sean Smith 03/17/2022 ‘Benghazi Hearings All Over Again': Fauci Says He Expects Republican-Led Congress to Come After Him
Sean Smith 05/10/2025 Mad Max mayor's [D] outrageous excuse for the lawlessness going on in his own city
Sean Smith 07/17/2023 Key Terrorist in 2012 Benghazi Attack Detained by Turkey and Deported to Libya, Where He May be Released
Sean Smith 03/17/2022 ‘Benghazi Hearings All Over Again': Fauci Says He Expects Republican-Led Congress to Come After Him
Related:
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 03/07/2025 Did Team Trump Get the Wrong Abbey Gate Bad Guy?
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 01/28/2025 FBI-approved book manuscript supports Kash Patel's Benghazi narrative challenged by NY Times
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 08/21/2019 Federal Judge Orders FBI to Search for More Christopher Steele Docs
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 03/07/2025 Did Team Trump Get the Wrong Abbey Gate Bad Guy?
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 01/28/2025 FBI-approved book manuscript supports Kash Patel's Benghazi narrative challenged by NY Times
Ahmed Abu Khatallah 08/21/2019 Federal Judge Orders FBI to Search for More Christopher Steele Docs
Related:
Mustafa al-Imam 01/24/2020 Libyan sentenced to 19 years for role in Benghazi attacks that killed US envoy
Mustafa al-Imam 07/20/2019 Drone bombs base used by pro-Iranian militia in Iraq
Mustafa al-Imam 10/31/2017 US captures key militant in Benghazi attack
Mustafa al-Imam 01/24/2020 Libyan sentenced to 19 years for role in Benghazi attacks that killed US envoy
Mustafa al-Imam 07/20/2019 Drone bombs base used by pro-Iranian militia in Iraq
Mustafa al-Imam 10/31/2017 US captures key militant in Benghazi attack