Suspect in 2012 Benghazi Attack Is Arrested and Brought to the U.S.

Federal officials announced Friday that a man accused of taking part in the 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested overseas and brought to the United States to face charges, according to CBS News and Al Jazeera. Attorney General Pam Bondi made the announcement alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, both outlets reported.

Officials identified the suspect as Zubayr al-Bakoush; CBS News and Spectrum News spell his first name Zubayar. CBS reported that prosecutors say he belonged to the militant group Ansar al-Sharia, and Spectrum News described him as a member of an extremist militia in Libya.

An indictment has been unsealed, CBS News and WABC-TV reported, and CBS said it was filed in federal court in Washington, D.C. According to Al Jazeera and WABC, it charges him with the murders of Ambassador Christopher Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith and the attempted murder of a State Department special agent. CBS and WABC said the charges also include providing material support to terrorists and arson. Al Jazeera and WABC reported Pirro’s statement that he was first charged in 2015, in a case that stayed sealed. The charges are allegations, and he has not been tried.

Officials gave few details of the arrest. CBS and Al Jazeera reported that he was taken into custody overseas, and CBS said he was transferred to the United States overnight before the announcement. WABC-TV said he was flown to Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m.

Al Jazeera quoted Bondi as saying the government has never forgotten the victims, and Spectrum News quoted her as saying officials have never stopped seeking justice for the attack.

On Sept. 11, 2012, attackers stormed the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi and a nearby CIA annex, killing four Americans, CBS News and WABC-TV reported. Besides Stevens and Smith, the dead were Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty, CBS, Al Jazeera and Spectrum News said.

Others have already been prosecuted. Ahmed Abu Khatallah was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and later convicted, according to CBS News and Spectrum News, which spell his surname differently. A second Libyan, Mustafa al-Imam, was also convicted for his role in the attack, CBS and Al Jazeera reported, though the outlets differ on the year.