Special Forces Capture Militant Key In Benghazi Attack, Officials Say
WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. officials say special operations forces have captured a militant who was instrumental in the attack on a U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.
A U.S. official has identified the captured militant as Mustafa al-Imam.
The official says American special operations forces captured al-Imam in Misrata, on the north coast of Libya and are transporting him back to the U.S.
The official wasn't authorized to speak publicly on the matter and demanded anonymity.
President Trump said Monday that Imam will "face justice" in the U.S and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the U.S. will "spare no effort to ensure that justice is served" to the militants who committed the attack.
Trump says he ordered the Special Forces operation that led to the capture of Mustafa al-Imam for his alleged role in the September 2012 attack that killed four Americans, including the U.S. ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens. Trump says the "four brave Americans" were serving their country.
Although five years have passed since the fatal attack, Trump says "our memory is deep and our reach is long."
He says the U.S. will not rest in its efforts to find and bring everyone who was involved in the attack to justice.
Tillerson says he spoke with some family members of the four fallen Americans to "underscore the U.S. government's unwavering support."
The attack was the fodder of multiple congressional investigations to determine what went wrong and whether the Obama administration misled the public on the details of the bloody assault.
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