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Benghazi Suspect Said to Corroborate Details of Attacks Benghazi Suspect Said to Corroborate Important Details of Attacks
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WASHINGTON — The militia leader who has been charged in connection with the 2012 killing of the United States ambassador in Benghazi, Libya, has provided American interrogators with “voluntary statements” that corroborate “key facts” about the attacks, the Justice Department said in a court document filed Tuesday night.WASHINGTON — The militia leader who has been charged in connection with the 2012 killing of the United States ambassador in Benghazi, Libya, has provided American interrogators with “voluntary statements” that corroborate “key facts” about the attacks, the Justice Department said in a court document filed Tuesday night.
American officials briefed on the case said the militia leader, Ahmed Abu Khattala, who was captured in an American commando raid two weeks ago, has not incriminated himself in the killing of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others. But he has provided interrogators with information about what occurred in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, the day of the attacks on the American diplomatic compound. The government did not say what the militia leader, Ahmed Abu Khattala, had told interrogators since he was apprehended by American commandos two weeks ago in a raid on the outskirts of Benghazi. American officials briefed on the case said Mr. Abu Khattala has not incriminated himself in the killing of Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three others. But he has provided interrogators with information about what occurred in Benghazi on Sept. 11, 2012, the day of the attacks on the American compounds there.
In the document, federal prosecutors said Mr. Abu Khattala had plotted attacks against the United State and other Western interests in recent months. They argued that he should remain in custody until trial because he posed a continued threat to the United States. In the document, federal prosecutors said Mr. Abu Khattala had plotted attacks against the United States and other Western interests in recent months. They argued that because he posed a continued threat to the United States he should remain in custody until trial. Mr. Abu Khattala is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge here on Wednesday for a hearing on whether should continue to be detained.
Mr. Abu Khattala is scheduled to appear before a magistrate judge here on Wednesday for a hearing on whether should continue to be detained.
If he were to be released, the document said, Mr. Abu Khattala could “continue to communicate his plans for additional deadly attacks to other extremists and encourage them to carry out those plans.” The filing calls him “a commander in an extremist militia group who is fully committed to causing death and destruction to American personnel and property.”If he were to be released, the document said, Mr. Abu Khattala could “continue to communicate his plans for additional deadly attacks to other extremists and encourage them to carry out those plans.” The filing calls him “a commander in an extremist militia group who is fully committed to causing death and destruction to American personnel and property.”
The Justice Department said Mr. Abu Khattala has “extensive contacts with senior-level members of extremist groups throughout Libya” and “could communicate and further conspire with many of those extremist individuals.” The Justice Department said that Mr. Abu Khattala is motivated by extremist ideology, has “extensive contacts with senior-level members of extremist groups throughout Libya” and “could communicate and further conspire with many of those extremist individuals.”
The filing lays out in detail for the first time the case the government is building against Mr. Abu Khattala. It said that in the days before the attack, he voiced “concern and opposition to the presence of an American facility in Benghazi.” Without any ties to the United States, Mr. Abu Khattala “has strong incentives to flee,” the government said.
On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, at least 20 men gathered outside the United States mission in Benghazi and “then aggressively breached” its gate, the document said. The attackers had machine guns and handguns, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Mr. Abu Khattala was moved to Washington on Saturday from a Navy ship where he had been held since he was captured by the commandos in a raid at a seaside villa. He was questioned aboard the ship and ultimately given a Miranda warning that he had the right to remain silent and be represented by a lawyer, officials said. Several hours after arriving in Washington, Mr. Abu Khattala was arraigned before a judge at a federal courthouse. He pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiring to provide material support and resources to terrorists that resulted in a death.
Mr. Abu Khattala was captured in Benghazi last month after a hunt that had dragged on for nearly two years and inflamed domestic and international politics. The filing reveals for the first time some of the evidence in the case that the government is building against Mr. Abu Khattala, saying it is supported by witnesses and physical evidence.
The capture was a breakthrough in finding the perpetrators of an episode that has been politically divisive from the start. President Obama and the State Department have been buffeted by multiple investigations and charges of misleading the public about the circumstances of the attack, which cost the lives of Mr. Stevens and three others. The president and administration officials have strongly rebutted the allegations and have accused Republicans of politicizing a national tragedy. It said that in the days before the attack, he voiced “concern and opposition to the presence of an American facility in Benghazi,” the government said. 
Until his capture, it seemed that Mr. Abu Khattala was almost taunting the United States to catch him, eliciting more criticism of Mr. Obama for not doing enough to bring him to justice. On the night of Sept. 11, 2012, a group of at least 20 men armed with machine guns, handguns and rocket-propelled grenades gathered outside the United States Mission in Benghazi and “aggressively breached” its gate, according to the document.
After Mr. Abu Khattala was caught, Mr. Obama said: “It’s important for us to send a message to the world that when Americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes, we will find those responsible, and we will bring them to justice. And that’s a message I sent the day after it happened, and regardless of how long it takes, we will find you.” The men went on to set fire to the United States Mission. It was that fire that killed Mr. Stevens and a State Department employee. A little later, Mr. Abu Khattala “entered the compound and supervised the exploitation of material from the scene by numerous men, many of whom were armed.”
Mr. Abu Khattala was brought to Washington within the last week to face charges in a civilian court, a move Republicans have loudly criticized, calling for him to be interrogated at the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, as an enemy combatant. He then went to one of his militia’s training camps, where many of its members had gathered and prepared a second attack, on another American outpost. Fearing that the United States was going to retaliate after the attacks, he tried to obtain weapons in the following days.
A sealed indictment sworn out secretly last July outlined three counts against him in connection with the deaths of Mr. Stevens, Glen A. Doherty, Sean Smith and Tyrone S. Woods. After American commandos in October 2013 captured a suspected terrorist in Tripoli, Libya, Mr. Abu Khattala “expressed anger” about the raid and “took steps to retaliate against the U.S. by targeting U.S. interests,” the document says. The government did not specify the steps.
Some have cautioned about celebrating too soon, noting that Mr. Abu Khattala was just one person suspected in the mass attack. “I wouldn’t say we’ve broken the back by any stretch of the imagination,” Representative Mike Rogers, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said on MSNBC at the time. The filing also provided new details about Mr. Khattala. It said that he is about 43 years old and that he was armed with a loaded handgun when he captured.
“This was an important activity to happen, to take someone like Khattala off the battlefield,” Mr. Rogers said.