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Zubayar al-Bakoush: 5 key things to know about 2012 Benghazi consulate attack suspect
Zubayar al-Bakoush, a key suspect in the deadly 2012 attack on the US compound in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested
Zubayar al-Bakoush, a key suspect in the deadly 2012 attack on the US compound in Benghazi, Libya, has been arrested, Attorney General Pam Bondi said Friday. Bondi added that al-Bakoush landed at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at 3 AM local time. “We have never stopped seeking justice for that crime against our nation,” she said.
5 key things to know about Zubayar al-Bakoush
Killed 4 Americans
Zubayar al-Bakoush was a part of the attack that left four Americans dead in Benghazi back in 2012. The attack on the night of September 11 included at least 20 militants armed with AK-47s and grenade launchers who breached the gate of the consulate compound and set buildings on fire.
Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith
The fire led to the deaths of Stevens and Smith. Other State Department personnel escaped to a nearby US facility known as the annex.
Zubayar al-Bakoush faces serious charges
Attorney Jeanine Pirro revealed that an eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with crimes, including the murders of Stevens and Smith.
Zubayar al-Bakoush's first photos surface
A photo showed Zubayar al-Bakoush being carried on a stretcher at the Joint Base Andrews on Friday.
Ties to mastermind
A Libyan militant suspected of being a mastermind of the attacks, Ahmed Abu Khattala, was captured by US special forces in 2014 and was brought to Washington for prosecution. He was convicted and is serving a prison sentence.
Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton slammed
The 2012 attack in Benghazi quickly became a deeply divisive political issue. Republicans repeatedly criticized President Barack Obama and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton over security failures at the facility, the military response to the violence, and the administration’s shifting narrative about who was responsible and why.
A final report issued by a Republican-led congressional panel concluded that the Obama administration was responsible for security deficiencies at the Libyan outpost and a slow response to the attacks.
The same 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."
(With inputs from The Associated Press)
