Karan DeYoung, Adam Goldman, gangd Julie Tate of the Washington Post write U.S. captures Benghazi suspect in secret raid
U.S. Special Operations forces captured one of the suspected ringleaders of the terrorist attacks in Benghazi in a secret raid in Libya over the weekend, the first time one of the accused perpetrators of the 2012 assaults has been apprehended, according to U.S. officials.
The officials said Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured Sunday near Benghazi by American troops, working alongside the FBI, following months of planning, and was now in U.S. custody “in a secure location outside Libya.” The officials said there were no casualties in the operation, and that all U.S. personnel involved have safely left Libya.
Abu Khattala’s apprehension is a major victory for the Obama administration, which has been criticized for having failed so far to bring those responsible for the Benghazi attacks to justice.
One jubilant official called Abu Khattala’s capture “a reminder that when the United States says it’s going to hold someone accountable and he will face justice, this is what we mean.”
9:21 AM PT: Eyder Peralta U.S. Captures Suspected Ringleader Of Attack In Benghazi
The United States says it has captured a militant suspected of leading the terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, said Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby.
Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured by American troops after coordinating with law enforcement. Kirby said Khattala was captured on Sunday and all U.S. personnel involved in the operation are safe.
Khattala, said Kirby, is now "in a secure location outside of Libya."
In October of 2012, The New York Times spoke to Khattala at a luxury hotel where he was "sipping a strawberry frappe on a patio and scoffing at the threats coming from the American and Libyan governments."
This story is just breaking so there has not yet been time for reporters to interview Republican leaders congratulating President Obama for bringing Ahmed Abu Khattala to justice. I'm sure we will be hearing from them soon.
CNN has said that because the U.S. Diplomatic Mission is considered American soil Khattala can be be tried in American courts with no problem.
9:49 AM PT: CNN is reported thatt Khattala is being charged in the Washington federal court not the New York court because the attack occurred on a federal property. CNN also read a list of charges which include "brandishing a firearm on a U.S. federal property," which may see funny, however, prosecutors apparently have a security of him doing this encouraging the other attackers so it is good to have solid evidence has the crime scene has been trampled, and we may have few if any witnesses. It would be awkward if we went to this much trouble and didn't get a conviction so they've included every possible charge. Sort of like getting Al Capone on income tax evasion. Sending a word class terrorist to prison for brandishing a firearm in Lybia will have a certain poetic irony to it.
10:04 AM PT: Oddly enough, out of 8 media reports I've check the only one that provides direct uotes of President Obama's remarks rather than paraphrasing it is Fox News so reluctantly I offer this.
Benghazi Attack Suspect Captured En Route to U.S.
In a written statement, Obama said: "The United States has an unwavering commitment to bring to justice those responsible for harming Americans."
He thanked the "painstaking efforts of our military, law enforcement, and intelligence personnel," and said the suspect would "now face the full weight of the American justice system."
"With this operation, the United States has once again demonstrated that we will do whatever it takes to see that justice is done when people harm Americans. We will continue our efforts to bring to justice those who were responsible for the Benghazi attacks," Obama said.