Attorney General Pam Bondi announced on Friday that the FBI arrested a man connected to the 2012 Benghazi attack in Libya. They identified the “key participant” behind the attack as Zubayar Al-Bakoush, and charged him with the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. In addition, he was charged with attempted murder of State Department Special Agent Scott Wicklund, and related counts of conspiracy, terrorism, and arson.
The Benghazi Attack
On September 11, 2012, a decade after the most extreme attacks the United States has ever experienced, an Islamic militant group attacked two United States government facilities in Benghazi, Libya. Four Americans were killed during the Benghazi attack, including two Navy SEALs, Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. At the press conference on Friday, Bondi said, “We have never forgotten those heroes, and we have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation.”
Bondi credited the FBI, the State Department, and the CIA for working together to bring the case to a close and justice to those affected. She declined to give further details on the arrest except that it was overseas. CNN reviewed flight data and found that a plane departed Msrata, Libya, on Thursday and landed at the Manassas Regional Airport in Virginia in the early hours of Friday morning.
Court documents show that Bakoush was a member of Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamic militant group that was pinned for the deadly attack. Prosecutors allege he entered the Benghazi diplomatic mission 15 minutes after the attack started and tried to break into staff members’ cars. US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said Bakoush was initially charged over a decade ago, but the case was sealed until he was arrested on Friday.
Pirro’s office will be the leading prosecutors. “Let me be very clear, there are more of them out there,” Pirro said. “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.”
Arrests of Attack Leaders
Since the United States helped remove the Muammar Gaddafi regime in 2011, and with the instability of warfare in Libya, Bakoush’s arrest represents another step towards justice in one of the most challenging investigations the FBI has been a part of in years. The 2014 capture of one of the other leaders of the Benghazi attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattalah, who is serving a 28-year sentence. The U.S. relied on local militants to assist in the capture.
FBI Director Kash Patel was part of the investigation team following the Benghazi attacks. A second suspect in the attack was captured in 2017. Mustafa al-Imam was convicted of two charges in relation to the attack and sentenced to 19 years in prison.
Blame For The Attacks
Following the Benghazi attacks, there were years of political turmoil and multiple investigations into who or what was responsible for the attack and how it was handled. Republicans consistently criticize the Obama administration and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for allegedly failing to secure facilities and respond to the attack.
In December 2012, the State Department’s Accountability Review Board found “systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies” that resulted in “grossly inadequate” security in Benghazi. Criminal liability was not sustained, but the verdict showed that leadership failures in Washington were a direct cause of the attacks.
Four State Department officials who were cited for their failures were placed on administrative leave with pay and returned to work in other roles. So, they continued their work with the government even after being deemed a liability.
