A man the U.S. considers a key participant in the 2012 Benghazi attack has been arrested, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday, announcing a break in one of the most politicized foreign affairs events of the Obama administration.
Zubayr al-Bakoush was taken into custody overseas and arrived at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland early Friday, authorities said. According to an unsealed indictment, al-Bakoush faces charges murder, attempted murder, terrorism and arson.
Prosecutors accuse Al-Bakoush of being one of the approximately 20 people who stormed the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, and set fire to several buildings, according to the indictment. The U.S. contends he “conducted surveillance activity” in specific areas of the compound and tried to break into vehicles belonging to mission staff, the indictment states.
Details such as when he is due in court and whether he has an attorney were not immediately available.
“We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said at a press conference alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and Jeanine Pirro, the U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C.
On Sept. 11, 2012, armed militants set fire to the U.S. compound in Benghazi, killing four Americans: U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department employee Sean Smith and CIA contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.
The Obama administration was scrutinized intensely for its response to the attack, and the fallout trailed both President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for years.
Clinton testified about the attack before Congress multiple times. Her frustrated response to a question about what may have led to the attack in one of the hearings led to heavy criticism and became fodder for attack ads against her during her presidential campaign in 2015.
Bondi referenced Clinton’s line in the news conference Friday as she praised President Donald Trump.
“Hillary Clinton famously once said about Benghazi, ‘What difference at this point does it make?’” she said. “Well, it makes a difference to Donald Trump.”
Bondi and Patel did not provide details about al-Bakoush, such as his age or nationality, or say where he was taken into custody.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.