Benghazi terror suspect extradited to face US charges

The U.S. has arrested Zubayr Al-Bakoush, alleged to be one of the leaders of the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi. 

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the arrest on Friday. Bondi said that Al-Bakoush was charged with charges of murder, terror and arson, all related to the 2012 attack.

"Zubayr Al-Bakoush will now face American justice on American soil. We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law," Bondi said on Friday. "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 said that Al-Bakoush was arrested "overseas," but did not give details on the exact location where the alleged terrorist was apprehended.

"I'm extremely thankful to the CIA and Director Ratcliffe and our other law enforcement partners for making sure that the world knows that if you kill an American citizen in an act of terrorism, we will hunt you down," Patel said on Friday.

The FBI director credited President Donald Trump's support for law enforcement, saying that the president "has given law enforcement the resources we need to take the fight across the world." Patel noted the department's success in capturing individuals on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list.

Pirro, who will be prosecuting the case, noted that Al-Bakoush was first charged by complaint in 2015, which was sealed for 11 years. She said that an unsealed eight-count indictment charged Al-Bakoush with the murders of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, State Department employee Sean Smith and CIA contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. The indictment also includes a charge for the attempted murder of State Department Special Agent Scott Wickland, according to Pirro.

"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. 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," Pirro said.

On Sept. 11, 2012, a terror attack on the U.S. Special Mission in Benghazi, Libya, left four dead. A group of assailants armed with AK-47 rifles, grenades and other weapons, stormed the compound and began shooting, setting fires and breaking into buildings. Stevens, Smith, Doherty and Woods were all killed in the attack.

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