Zubair al-Baqoush is charged in connection with the murder of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other US citizens.
Published on February 6, 2026
United States Attorney General Pam Bondi says a “key participant” in the 2012 attack on the US embassy in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested.
Four American citizens, including US Ambassador J Christopher Stevens, were killed in the attack on the US diplomatic compound and the nearby CIA annex.
Bondi said Zubayr al-Baqoush has been extradited to the US and will face murder, arson and “terrorism”-related charges.
“We have never forgotten those heroes and we have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our country,” Bondi said of those killed.
“We will prosecute this alleged terrorist as per law,” she said.
Al-Baqaush’s alleged involvement in the attack, which came amid widespread anti-government protests and insecurity in Libya following the 2011 overthrow and assassination of longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi, was not immediately clear.
Another man, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, was previously indicted by the US and is currently serving a 28-year sentence after being captured in 2017.
US prosecutors said Abu Khatallah led an armed group in Libya and ordered the attack that began on September 11, 2012. It was Abu Khatallah. cleaned up of the murder charges, but pleaded guilty to four other “terrorism”-related charges in the trial.
Another Libyan national, Mustafa al-Imam, was convicted in 2020 in connection with the attack.
Other US citizens killed in the attack include government employees Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glenn Doherty.
The assassination sparked a series of US congressional investigations into the security lapses that led to the killings, particularly focusing on the role of former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
This is a developing story.