FBI, CIA Apprehend Key Suspect In 2012 Benghazi Attack, Bondi Vows To Hunt Down Others

Many mysteries still surround the 2012 attack on the American consulate and nearby CIA outpost in Benghazi, Libya which led to the deaths of four Americans, including US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens.

On Friday, the Trump administration heralded a major break in one of the worst terror attacks on a US diplomatic compound in history.  Attorney General Pam Bondi announced in a press conference the arrest of a culprit allegedly behind the attack. Zubayar al-Bakoush has already been extradited to the United States, landing at Andrews Air Forces base, and is facing murder, arson and terrorism related charges.

via Associated Press

“The FBI has arrested one of the key participants behind the Benghazi attack. Zubayar al-Bakoush landed at Andrews Air Force Base at 3 a.m. this morning. He is in our custody,” Bondi said at a news conference.

She disclosed that the CIA and FBI coordinated to apprehend the suspected terrorist. No details of how he was nabbed have been offered, other than he was apprehended “overseas.”

“Zubayr Al-Bakoush will now face American justice on American soil. We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law,” Bondi said

The US says it is committed to hunting down others behind the large-scale attack, known as America’s other 9/11, given it occurred September 11, 2012. Three others – Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty – were killed trying to defend against the assault. 

“Let me be very clear — there are more of them out there,” US Attorney Jeanine Pirro said alongside Pondi and the FBI’s Patel. “Time will not stop us from going after these predators, no matter how long it takes, in order to fulfill our obligation to those families who suffered horrific pain at the hands of these violent terrorists.” 

The truth about Libya is that some of the Islamist ‘rebels’ the US funded to overthrow Gaddafi later bit the hand that fed them. These for a time were “America’s jihadists”…

Seems Dbaiba did what he do best (Again),Unlike almarimi ,it’s worth considering how the war‑hardened groups that left Benghazi will view Dbaiba going forward.
Image for Zubayr Al-Bakoush in US custody post his “disappearance” in Tripoli late Nov 2025.#Libya https://t.co/W9r7y1UIy0 pic.twitter.com/7vI12FJytK

— Mohamed Tailamun|محمد طيلمون (@MTailamun) February 6, 2026

This is actually the second arrest connected o the Benghazi attack, after back in 2020 Libyan national Mustafa al-Imam was sentenced to more than 19 years in prison for his crimes.

National security officials have long identified that Al-Qaeda-aligned Salafi Jihadist militia group Ansar al-Sharia was behind it.

In the wake of the disaster, several Congressional investigations and hearings saw Republicans clash with then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton ahead of her 2016 presidential run as a Democrat.

However, the bipartisan political outrage was always somewhat of a limited hangout, concealing some of the deeper disturbing aspects to the Benghazi attack. For example, the US government and CIA at the time of the attack were engaged in a covert gun-running operation out of Libya, to support anti-Assad jihadists in Syria, declassified intelligence records show.

* * *

Friday’s full announcement…