Benghazi Attack Mastermind Captured and Returned to U.S. to Face Federal Charges

One of the leading figures behind the deadly 2012 assault on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has been taken into American custody and will now face charges related to arson, murder, and terrorism, the Justice Department announced Friday.

Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters that “Zubayr Al-Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m. this morning. He is in our custody. He was greeted by [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel and [DC] US Attorney Jeanine Pirro,” speaking from DOJ headquarters.

Bondi pledged that prosecutors “will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law,” while Pirro emphasized that her office “will not stop” pursuing additional suspects who are still on the run.

Pirro described the lasting impact of the Benghazi tragedy, saying, “The Benghazi saga was a painful one for Americans. It has stayed with all of us. And let me be very clear, there are more of them out there.” She noted that she and Patel have remained in contact with relatives of the four Americans killed in the attack.

“Time will not stop us from going after these predators, no matter how long it takes, in order to fulfill our obligation to those families who suffered horrific pain at the hands of these violent terrorists,” she said.

The Sept. 11, 2012 attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi – Libya’s second-largest city – claimed the lives of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department officer Sean Smith, and CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods.

The compound was overrun by Islamic militants who set buildings ablaze and launched mortar fire at a nearby CIA annex as part of a coordinated operation.

Stevens and Smith died after being trapped inside the burning compound, while Doherty and Woods fell while attempting to protect it.

In the immediate aftermath, some Obama administration officials suggested the incident stemmed from spontaneous protests over an anti-Muslim video circulating widely online.

A House select committee later determined that senior administration officials failed to send military support to Libya during the attack.

Then–U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice said on Sept. 16, 2012: “What sparked the recent violence was the airing on the Internet of a very hateful, very offensive video that has offended many people around the world.”

During a 2013 congressional hearing, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) pressed former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on the government’s response, prompting her now-famous reply: “What difference, at this point, does it make?”

On Friday, Bondi invoked that remark, saying, “Hillary Clinton famously once said about Benghazi, ‘What difference, at this point, does it make?’ Well, it makes a difference to Donald Trump. It makes a difference to those families.”

“And 14 years later, it makes a difference to law enforcement,” she continued.

She added a warning for anyone who targets Americans: “Let this case serve as a reminder. If you commit a crime against the American people anywhere in this world, President Trump’s Justice Department will find you. It might not happen overnight, but it will happen. You can run, but you cannot hide.”

Patel noted that he worked on the case early in his career and said bringing Al-Bakoush into custody marked a significant milestone.

“When an act of terrorism of this magnitude strikes at the heart of our nation, we go to work,” he told reporters.

Recounting the handover, he said, “I was at the airfield with US Attorney Pirro earlier this morning when we did the formal, foreign transfer of custody of Bakoush into US custody to face prosecution. And her office and the Department of Justice are going to execute justice for the fallen.”