On Tuesday, US President Barack Obama made a public promise regarding the capture of a suspected ringleader of the deadly US attack in Benghazi, Libya, Yahoo News said. According to Obama, Ahmed Abu Khatalla will be facing the "full weight" of American justice following his capture by US special operations forces over the weekend.
In a written statement, Obama pledged, "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. We will continue our efforts to bring to justice those who were responsible for the Benghazi attacks."
The attack, which happened in 2012, has caused the lives of US government employees, including US ambassador to Libya Chris Stevens. The attack was sadly been used as a way for Republicans to criticize Obama's upbeat election-year rhetoric about beating back the al-Qaida terrorist group, Yahoo News said.
The Washington Post first reported about the capture of Abu Khatalla, of which the Pentagan had confirmed. According to the Pentagon, elite US commandos, working with FBI agents, had nabbed Abu Khatalla over the weekend, which marks the year-and-a-half anniversary of the 2012 attacks. Abu Khatalla was said to be captured near Benghazi.
Pentagon chief spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby said in a statement, "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."
US Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that Abu Khatalla faces criminal charges on three counts and that the government will have the option to add more charges against the suspect in the coming days.
Holder added, "Even as we begin the process of putting Khatallah 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."
