The US has arrested a man accused of involvement in the attack on the American consulate in Libya in 2012, the Department of Justice announced on Friday.
Militants with Ansar Al Sharia attacked the US consulate in Benghazi on September 11, 2012. The attack killed the ambassador, Christopher Stevens, and State Department employee Sean Smith. A later nearby attack killed two CIA contractors.
“The FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack. Zubayar Al Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3am this morning, he is in our custody,” US Attorney General Pam Bondi told reporters.
“We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. He'll face charges related to murder, terrorism, arson, among others.”
FBI Director Kash Patel said that Mr Al Bakoush had been “picked up overseas”, and that the inter-agency operation had been carried out with allied partners.
Mr Al Bakoush is the third person to face criminal charges stemming from the attack. Two others, Ahmed Abu Khatallah and Mustafa Al Imam, were given lengthy prison sentences. Another suspect, Ali Awni Al Harzi, was killed in an air strike in Iraq in 2015.
“Never forget. Pam never forgot, the President never forgot, this FBI never forgot, and certainly US Attorney [Jeanine] Piero never forgot. When an act of terrorism of this magnitude strikes at the heart of our nation, we go to work,” Mr Patel said.
He added that the US was "not done" in bringing "more individuals to justice for this heinous act of terror".
The attack, which took place during Barack Obama's administration, became a flashpoint for Republicans who said the Democratic president did not respond quickly enough.
Scrutiny was raised over the level of security at the consulate, and 10 separate investigations were launched into the attack. An independent review board found that "systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels" within the State Department led to inadequate security.
Ms Pirro, who said she personally knew the families whose loved ones were killed in the attack, accused Hillary Clinton, Mr Obama's secretary of state at the time, of inaction, quoting her as saying amid investigations: “'What difference, at this point, does it make?'
"Well, it makes a difference to Donald Trump," she said. "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."
