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June 19, 2014

Libya Condemns U.S. Raid on Benghazi Suspect; Obama Admin Invokes Self-Defense 
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Libya has condemned a U.S. raid that nabbed a suspect accused of
plotting the 2012 attack in Benghazi. Ahmed Abu Khattala was captured by
U.S. Special Forces over the weekend and immediately whisked away to a
U.S. ship. The Obama administration says it plans to try him in civilian
court. On Wednesday, Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani called the U.S.
raid a violation of Libyan sovereignty and said Khattala should be
brought back for trial inside Libya.

Said al-Saoud, Libyan Foreign Ministry spokesperson: "The government
condemns this unfortunate attack on Libyan sovereignty, without prior
knowledge of the Libyan government, in a time the city of Benghazi
suffers from security disruptions."

Saleh al-Marghani, Libyan justice minister: "Mr. Abu Khatalla and others
are wanted in a number of cases. And as you know, the security situation
in Benghazi has crippled the security forces, leaving them unable to
enforce these orders."

In a letter to the U.N. Security Council, the U.S. ambassador to the
United Nations, Samantha Power, defended the raid by invoking the U.S.
right to self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter. Power called
Khatalla a "key figure" in the Benghazi attack and said he was planning
new violence against Americans. Khatalla is reportedly being held on a
U.S. ship and undergoing an FBI-led interrogation. It is unclear if he's
been read a Miranda warning of his right to remain silent and obtain
legal counsel.

 

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