Key participant in 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attack that killed 4 Americans is in custody, Bondi says

Key participant in 2012 Benghazi, Libya, attack that killed 4 Americans is in custody, Bondi says 1 of 5 | Libyan military guards check one of the U.S. Consulate’s burnt-out buildings, Sept. 14, 2012, during a visit by Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif, not pictured, to the U.S. Consulate to express sympathy for the death of American ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues after the deadly attack on the Consulate on Sept. 11, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) 2 of 5 | Bloodstains, believed to be from one of the American staff members of the U.S. Consulate, are seen Sept. 13, 2012, at the main gate after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) 3 of 5 | A burnt car sits in front of the U.S. consulate on Sept. 13, 2012, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, on the night of Sept. 11, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) 4 of 5 | Glass, debris and overturned furniture are strewn inside a room in the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens., Sept. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File) 5 of 5 | The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) 1 of 5 Libyan military guards check one of the U.S. Consulate’s burnt-out buildings, Sept. 14, 2012, during a visit by Libyan President Mohammed el-Megarif, not pictured, to the U.S. Consulate to express sympathy for the death of American ambassador Chris Stevens and his colleagues after the deadly attack on the Consulate on Sept. 11, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 2 of 5 Bloodstains, believed to be from one of the American staff members of the U.S. Consulate, are seen Sept. 13, 2012, at the main gate after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, on the night of Sept. 11, 2012, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 3 of 5 A burnt car sits in front of the U.S. consulate on Sept. 13, 2012, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens, on the night of Sept. 11, in Benghazi, Libya. (AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 4 of 5 Glass, debris and overturned furniture are strewn inside a room in the gutted U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens., Sept. 12, 2012. (AP Photo/Ibrahim Alaguri, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. 5 of 5 The U.S. Department of Justice logo is seen on a podium before a press conference, May 6, 2025, at the Justice Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File) Add AP News on Google Add AP News as your preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year] WASHINGTON (AP) — A key participant in the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. compound in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four Americans has been taken into custody and will be prosecuted in their deaths, Attorney General Pam Bondi said FridayBondi said in a news conference that Zubayr Al-Bakoush had landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 a.m. on Friday.“We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation,” Bondi said.U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro said that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes including the murders of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith. It was unclear if Al-Bakoush had an attorney representing him.The 2012 attack on the U.S. compound immediately emerged as a divisive political issue as Republicans challenged President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on security at the facility, the military response to the violence and the administration’s changing narrative about who was responsible and why. A final report by a Republican-led congressional panel faulted the Obama administration for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacs. The report, however, found no wrongdoing by Clinton. Clinton dismissed the report as an echo of previous probes with no new discoveries, saying it was “time to move on.” Other Democrats denounced the Republicans’ report as “a conspiracy theory on steroids.” On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, U.S. officials have said, at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby U.S. facility known as the annex.A large group assembled for an attack on the annex. That attack, including a precision mortar barrage, resulted in the deaths of security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was captured by U.S. special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. His attorneys argued that the evidence was inconclusive and that he was singled out because of his ultra-conservative Muslim beliefs.