FBI Arrests Benghazi Ringleader After Decade-Long Global Manhunt

In a major breakthrough for U.S. counterterrorism efforts, the FBI has captured Zubayr Al-Bakoush, an alleged ringleader in the 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, which killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro announced the arrest Friday, saying Al-Bakoush is now in U.S. custody and facing multiple federal charges tied to the deadly assault.

Bondi said the Justice Department has charged Al-Bakoush with murder, terrorism, and arson, stemming from his alleged orchestration of the Benghazi attack that shocked the world on September 11, 2012.

“Zubayr Al-Bakoush will now face American justice on American soil,” Bondi said. “We will prosecute this alleged terrorist to the fullest extent of the law. Let this case serve as a reminder: if you commit a crime against the American people anywhere in this world, President Trump’s Justice Department will find you. It might not happen overnight, but it will happen. You can run, but you cannot hide.”

Officials confirmed that Al-Bakoush was apprehended overseas and transported to the Eastern District of Virginia, where he will face trial. Patel declined to reveal where or when the arrest occurred, citing “operational sensitivities” surrounding the classified mission that led to his capture.

“I’m extremely thankful to the CIA, Director John Ratcliffe, and our other law enforcement partners for making sure that the world knows that if you kill an American citizen in an act of terrorism, we will hunt you down,” Patel said. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we have the resources to take the fight across the world — and we’re doing it.”

Patel credited the president for re-energizing interagency coordination between the FBI, CIA, and Department of Defense, adding that Al-Bakoush’s capture followed months of intelligence work and cross-border cooperation.

U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who will lead the prosecution, revealed that Al-Bakoush had originally been charged under a sealed criminal complaint in 2015, but the case was kept under wraps for national security reasons. The newly unsealed eight-count federal indictment accuses him of the murders of Ambassador Stevens, State Department communications officer Sean Smith, and CIA security contractors Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods. It also includes an attempted murder charge involving State Department security agent Scott Wickland, who survived the attack.

“The Benghazi saga was a painful one for Americans. It has stayed with all of us,” Pirro said. “And let me be very clear — there are more of them out there. Time will not stop us from going after these predators, no matter how long it takes. We owe that to the families who suffered horrific pain at the hands of these violent terrorists.”

The Benghazi attack, which took place on the night of September 11, 2012, remains one of the deadliest assaults ever carried out on a U.S. diplomatic mission. Militants stormed the compound with rifles, grenades, and incendiary explosives, setting buildings ablaze and forcing staff to flee under fire.

The attack killed four Americans and ignited years of political controversy in Washington, leading to multiple congressional investigations into the security failures surrounding the mission and the Obama administration’s response.