Suspected ringleader behind Benghazi consulate attack captured by US

A suspected leader of the deadly 2012 attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has been captured by American troops, the Obama administration confirmed Tuesday, hailing the Libyan's arrest as a “significant milestone” in the case.

Over the weekend, U.S. special operations forces apprehended Ahmed Abu Khattala, believed to be one of the masterminds behind the assault, which killed four Americans. He is in custody on a U.S. ship.

In a statement Tuesday, President Barack Obama said Khattala would face the "full weight of the American justice system."

He added, "With this operation, the United States has once again demonstrated that we will do whatever it takes to see that justice is done when people harm Americans."

He pledged to continue with efforts to search for others thought responsible for the Benghazi attack. In the assault at the compound, Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty were killed.

The circumstances surrounding the security breach have been a thorn in the side of the Obama administration ever since, with Republican opponents of the president alleging State Department incompetence in safeguarding the lives of Americans at the compound and claiming a cover-up may have taken place afterward.

Khattala, captured during a secret raid near Benghazi, is thought to be the highest-profile member of the group that stormed the U.S. Consulate who has been detained so far. He is believed to be a senior leader of the city’s branch of he armed group Ansar al-Sharia.

The development was first reported by The Washington Post on Tuesday and almost immediately confirmed by government agencies.

Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said, "I can confirm that on Sunday, June 15, the U.S. military — in cooperation with law enforcement personnel — captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, a key figure in the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. 

"He is in U.S. custody in a secure location outside of Libya. There were no civilian casualties related to this operation, and all U.S. personnel involved in the operation have safely departed Libya."

The capture is a significant breakthrough for the White House, which has been accused of botching the investigation.

Just a few weeks after the attack, Khattala was seen in the open being interviewed by American journalists in Benghazi, much to the frustration of the FBI, which had struggled to make any arrests in the case.

And as late as last August, Khattala told The Associated Press that he was not in hiding, nor had he been questioned by Libyan authorities over the consulate attack. He told the news agency that he had abandoned the militia and begun working as a construction contractor.

"I am a Libyan citizen, and the American government has nothing to do with me," he said. "I am in my city, having a normal life and have no troubles, and if they have an inquiry to make, they should get in touch with Libyan authorities."

As the U.S. raid that saw his capture took place Sunday, forces loyal to a renegade general attacked camps in Benghazi as part of a new counteroffensive against rebel groups. Airstrikes targeted the camps on behalf of Gen. Khalifa Haftar, a top military official under dictator Muammar Gaddafi who later defected and lived for years in the U.S.

It isn't clear what the strikes targeted, but Haftar's forces have previously targeted Ansar al-Sharia.

Khattala was the commander of a militia group called Abu Obaida Bin Jarrah at the time of the attack.  

Federal prosecutors filed charges against Khattala and several others last year, and in January the State Department labeled him a “terrorist,” calling him a “senior leader” of Ansar al-Sharia, which it holds solely responsible for the attack.

On Tuesday the White House said he would be tried in the U.S. court system, not in a military tribunal at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

Attorney General Eric Holder said the suspect would be tried on three counts, with the possibility of more charges being announced in the coming days.

The complaint, unsealed Tuesday, charges Khattala with providing, attempting and conspiring to provide material support to terrorists that resulted in death; discharging, brandishing, using, carrying and possessing a firearm during a crime of violence; and killing a person in the course of an attack on a federal facility and conspiring to do so.

Officials said he could face the death penalty if convicted of the latter charge.

“Even as we begin the process of putting Khattala on trial and seeking his conviction before a jury, our investigation will remain ongoing as we work to identify and arrest any co-conspirators. This is our pledge. We owe the victims of the Benghazi attack and their loved ones nothing less,” Holder said.

But some top Republican lawmakers are clamoring for Khattala to be sent to Guantánamo Bay.

Sens. John McCain, R-Ariz., and Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told news outlets that not taking him to the detention center would be a “mistake.”

"It would be the biggest mistake for the ages to read this guy his Miranda rights," Graham told The Washington Post. "We should have some quality time with this guy, weeks and months. Don't torture him — but have some quality time."

Graham added that he hoped the U.S. could gain “intelligence through the law of war interrogation.”

McCain echoed his thoughts.

"Obviously he should be put on trial. I'd bring him to Guantánamo. Where else can you take him to?" McCain asked. Anything else would be “totally inappropriate,” he told reporters.

Democratic lawmakers have balked at the idea, with Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois noting that the U.S. has successfully tried and convicted hundreds of other terror suspects in federal courts, while the military courts preferred by Republicans have yielded only a few convictions and have a much longer process.

Al Jazeera and The Associated Press