The Pentagon confirmed on Saturday night that U.S. special forces captured alive Nazih Abdul-Hamed-al-Ruqai, also known by his alias Abu Anas al Libi in Tripoli, Libya, accused by America for his involvement in the 1998 bombings of the U.S. Embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, which killed more than 220 people, The Associated Press reported.
Another counterterrorism operation was also conducted as U.S. Navy Seals attempted to raid the hideout of the leader of al-Shabaab terror organization off the coast of Somalia, but the operation had been called off after a heavy firefight with terrorists. The Navy Sealso killed two, and did not sustain any casaulties on their own side.
Al-Libi had been on the FBI's most wanted terrorists list since it was introduced shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, with a $5 million bounty on his head. He was seized in Tripoli on Saturday.
Secretary of State John Kerry said that Al-Libi's seizure in Tripoli complied with U.S. law, saying he was a "legal and appropriate target" for the military and will face justice in a court of law.
"I hope the perception is in the world that people who commit acts of terror and who have been appropriately indicted by courts of law, by the legal process, will know that United States of America is going to do anything in its power that is legal and appropriate in order to enforce the law and to protect our security," Kerry told reporters Monday at an Asia-Pacific economic conference in Indonesia.
"I think it's important for people in the world not to sympathize with alleged terrorists but to underscore the importance of the rule of law," Kerry added.
U.S. interrogators, which are comprised of teams from the CIA and the military, began questioning al Libi while on-board the USS San Antonio, a helicopter carrier in the Mediterranean Sea, NBC News reported.
U.S. officials hope to get information about al Qaeda activities or looming operations in or outside Libya, the officials said.
The counterterrorism operation in Somalia by U.S. Navy Seals, happened almost at the same time Saturday as the seizure of al Lib.
The leader of the African terrorist group was believe to be hiding out, but the Seals called in attack helicopters for extra back up. They kiledl two al-Shabaab terrorists, according to news reports.
Pentagon Press Secretary George Little however said on Sunday that he was "not prepared to provide additional detail at this time."
The Somali raid was carried out by members of SEAL Team Six, the same unit that killed Osama bin Laden in his Pakistan hideout in 2011. The Somali raid was in retaliation for the terrorist attack on the Westgate Mall in Nairobi, Kenya, which killed 67 people two weeks ago.
