Washington – The FBI arrested a suspect who was allegedly involved terrorist attack Four Americans were killed at a US facility in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012, Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday.
“Today, I am proud to announce that the FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack,” Bondi said. “You can do it soon, but you can’t hide.”
The suspect, identified as Zubayar al-Bakoush, was taken to the United States overnight, Bondi said. The attorney general announced the capture along with FBI Director Kash Patel and US Attorney Jeanine Pirro in Washington.
US Ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens and three others – Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty – were killed in an attack on a US diplomatic compound and nearby CIA headquarters on September 11, 2012 by Ansar al-Sharia militants. Pirro said he informed surviving family members of al-Bakoush’s capture.
After the announcement, the prosecutors seal a 13 page complaint In US District Court in Washington, DC, al-Bakoush was charged with seven counts, including murder, attempted murder, providing material support to terrorists and arson. He is expected to appear in court on Friday.
The indictment says al-Bakoush lived in Benghazi and was a member of Ansar al-Sharia. Prosecutors said al-Bakoush Stevens and his security team were part of the group of armed militants who attacked the US mission in Benghazi.
The indictment alleges that a group of about 20 militants breached the main gate and set fire to the buildings, killing Stevens and Smith. Prosecutors allege that al-Bakoush entered the gate, lit the fire and “conducted surveillance” before attempting to enter vehicles in the compound area.
A mortar attack at a CIA annex about a mile from the US mission killed Woods and Doherty, who were CIA recruiters.
The State Department and the CIA worked with the FBI to arrest al-Bakoush, Bondi said Friday. Officials declined to provide many details about its tracking, except to say it was picked up “overseas.” Pirro said there are more people responsible for the killings on that day in 2012, and the federal government will not stop hunting.
“Let me be very clear; there are more out there,” Pirro said. “Time will not stop us from going after these predators, no matter how long it takes, to fulfill our duty to those families who suffered terrible pain at the hands of these violent terrorists.”
Two others have been indicted in the US for their role in the attack. In 2014, US Special Forces captured Libyan national Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the alleged ringleader of the attack. was acquitted He was convicted in 2017 of the murder charges but others and was initially sentenced to 22 years in prison. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in 2024, after a federal judge ruled that the initial sentence was too light.
In 2017, another Libyan, Mustafa al-ImamHe was caught in a US operation and brought in for prosecution. In 2019, he was found guilty at trial He has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.