Not some guy out on a evening stroll with an RPG.
Via LWJ
On July 1, the US government filed a motion arguing that the only suspect charged with participating in the Sept. 11, 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya should be held in pretrial detention. The motion was subsequently granted.
The court document provides specific allegations concerning the role that the jailed suspect, Ahmed Abu Khatallah, played in the events of that night.
Although US officials had been quick to portray the attack in Benghazi as part of a reaction to an anti-Islam video, US prosecutors now say that Khatallah’s “participation … was motivated by his extremist ideology.”
And “days before” the attack, Khatallah “voiced concern and opposition to the presence of an American facility in Benghazi.” Khatallah has also allegedly “continued to make efforts to target American personnel and property since the” attack in Benghazi and he has “discussed with others his deadly and destructive intentions.”
According to US prosecutors, Khatallah “was a commander of Obaidah Ibn Al Jarrah, an extremist brigade that was absorbed into” Ansar Al Sharia (AAS) “after the recent Libya revolution.” The government describes AAS as “an Islamic extremist militia in Libya that holds anti-Western views and advocates the establishment of Sharia law in Libya.” Khatallah became a “senior leader” of AAS after his brigade merged with the organization.
Several members of AAS in Benghazi have been identified as being among the group that initially breached the gate at the US Mission on the night of Sept. 11, 2012. These fighters include Khatallah’s “known associates.”
Beyond the allegations of Khatallah’s role in the attack, the government’s filing includes several other reported details that may point to his ties to the broader terror network. The court filing provides little insight into Khatallah’s relationships with other jihadists, however.
‘Extensive contacts with senior-level members of extremist groups throughout Libya’
One reason the US government recommended that Khatallah be detained is because he could “communicate his plans for additional deadly attacks to other extremists and encourage them to carry out those plans.”
The government alleges that Khatallah “has extensive contacts with senior-level members of extremist groups throughout Libya.” Members of these organizations, as well as Khatallah’s “close associates who participated in” the Benghazi attack, “are similarly dedicated to carrying out plots to attack American and Western interests.”
Although Khatallah’s contacts in other extremist groups are not identified in the legal filing, intelligence and evidence compiled by American authorities indicate that Khatallah’s men were among fighters from several jihadist groups that participated in the assault on the US Mission.
The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence identified the groups responsible for the Benghazi attack in a report released on Jan. 15. “Individuals affiliated with terrorist groups, including AQIM, Ansar al Sharia, AQAP, and the Mohammad Jamal Network, participated in the September 11, 2012, attacks,” the report reads.