The Washington Post reports that U.S. Special Operations forces have captured the alleged ringleader of the terrorist attacks in Benghazi in a secret raid in Libya. This marks the first time one of the accused perpetrators of the 2012 assault has been captured, according to U.S. officials, says the Post.
Officials tell the Post that Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured near Benghazi over the weekend by American troops working alongside the FBI and is now in U.S. custody “in a secure location outside Libya.”
The Post adds that it learned about the capture Monday but agreed to a request from the White House to delay publication of a story because of security concerns.
The Post:
Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity about the still-secret operation, would not say where Khattala was being held. They said he was “en route” to the United States, but would not say when he was expected to arrive.
[..]
Officials who confirmed Khattala’s capture declined to comment on whether others were apprehended with him, or to describe the specific military or law enforcement units that were involved. Last October, commandos from the Army’s elite Delta Force, along with members of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team, carried out a similar raid in Tripoli, the Libyan capital, and abducted Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai,who is accused of participating in the 1998 bombings of U.S. Embassies in East Africa.
Read more here
Update:
Statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Rear Admiral John Kirby:
I can confirm that on Sunday, June 15 the U.S. Military — in cooperation with law enforcement personnel — captured Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a key figure in the attacks on U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya, in September 2012. 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.
