US: Benghazi attack leader sentenced to 22 years

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - A Libyan national who led a hardline militia that carried out a deadly attack on American facilities was sentenced Wednesday to 22 years in prison.

Ahmed Abu Khatallah, 47, masterminded the Benghazi, Libya attack that killed Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in an overnight attack that began Sept. 11, 2012.

Khatallah was captured by U.S. special forces in Libya in June 2014 and transferred to the U.S. to stand trial.

He was convicted by a jury in November of terrorism-related charges following a seven-week trial. He was found guilty of conspiracy to provide and providing material support to terrorists, maliciously destroying and injuring U.S. dwellings and property and placing lives in jeopardy within U.S. jurisdiction. But he was acquitted of murder and attempted murder charges, the most serious charges he faced.

Prosecutors had sought a life sentence for Khatallah, but his defense team argued for a lighter 15-year sentence.

Prosecutors argued that during the attack, Khatallah kept in contact with his militia, known as Ubaydah bin Jarrah, through a series of cellphone calls as he stayed on the perimeter of the U.S. government compound to keep others, including first responders, away.

He also made calls to other militia leaders in a bid to keep them from interfering with the attack, the government said.