United States

Jury Acquits Suspected Libyan Militant of Most Serious Charges in Benghazi Attack Trial

A federal court jury found a Libyan man guilty Tuesday of playing a role in the deadly 2012 terrorist attack on a U.S. government compound in Benghazi, Libya. 

But he was acquitted of charges that his actions killed four Americans, NBC News reports.

Five years after the raid that killed a U.S. ambassador, Ahmed Abu Khatallah was found guilty of helping to plan and carry it out. It is the first conviction to stem from the deadly raid.

Prosecutors said Khatallah was among 20 people who stormed the U.S. mission with machine guns and grenade launchers, set it on fire and later attacked an annex, killing U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans: Glen Doherty, Sean Smith and Tyrone Woods.

But in a big setback to prosecutors, the jury found Khatallah not guilty on charges that his actions led to the deaths of the Americans. Of 18 counts in the federal indictment, he was convicted of four: destroying U.S. government property, discharging a firearm during a violent crime, and two counts of providing support to a terror organization.

Contact Us