Khattala's Fervor, Not Video, Behind Benghazi: Prosecutors

Documents say he was armed when captured
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 2, 2014 11:19 AM CDT
Khattala's Fervor, Not Video, Behind Benghazi: Prosecutors
This June 28, 2014, artist's rendering shows US Magistrate, Judge John Facciola, swearing in defendant Ahmed Abu Khatallah during a hearing at the federal US District Court in Washington.   (AP Photo/Dana Verkouteren)

In newly released court documents, prosecutors laying out the case against alleged Benghazi mastermind Ahmed Abu Khattala allege that he was "motivated by his extremist ideology"—and make no mention, New York observes, of that infamous anti-Muslim YouTube video US officials initially blamed for the attack. Prosecutors say Khattala had complained of the consulate's presence in Benghazi days earlier. They allege that he is a leader of the Ansar al-Sharia terror group, and that several members of that group took part in the attack. Once they were through the consulate walls, Khattala allegedly "supervised the exploitation of material from the scene by numerous men."

The document, which is intended to convince the judge to keep Khattala in custody until his trial, offers a rough sketch of the case against him, but prosecutors say they expect to add more charges, the Washington Post reports. It also reveals for the first time that Khattala was armed with a handgun when he was captured. Prosecutors also say he spoke freely with interrogators both before and after he was read his Miranda rights. (More Ahmed Abu Khattalah stories.)

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