Suspected Benghazi terror suspect found dead in Libya days after he was last seen detained by a local militia

Faraj al-Shibli was found dead in Marj, Libya, on Sunday

al-Shibli was captured either Friday or Saturday by a local militia

The terror suspect had links to al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which is suspected of carrying out the attack

The attack in Benghazi claimed the life of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans

A suspect in the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, Libya, that claimed the life of U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, was found dead Monday, according to reports from CNN.

The network cites a 'Libyan source and locals in the town of Marj,' who say Faraj al-Shibli was found dead in the eastern Libyan town.

The suspected terrorist al-Shibli was last seen as he was being detained by a local militia in Marj on Friday or Saturday.



Dead: Faraj al-Shibli, who is believed to have played a role in the Benghazi terrorist attack, was found dead in Libya on Monday

Intelligence officials discovered a link between al-Shibli and al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which officials believe took part in the attack on the U.S. diplomatic complex in Benghazi.

CNN reports that al-Shibli also had contact with al Qaeda members in Pakistan.

In March 2013, al-Shibli was detained by Libyan officials who suspected he had played a part in the attack. During his detention, FBI officials were allowed to interview him in front of Libyan officials.



The Libyan warlord who allegedly led the 2012 attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, has been captured by Delta Force commandos.



Ahmed Abu Khattala was taken off the streets of Benghazi and whisked away to a 'secure location outside of Libya' for interrogation on Sunday, the Washington Post reports.



Fox News reports that he is currently en route to the United States aboard a U.S. Navy ship. Once on American soil, he is expected to face trial on terrorism charges in federal court in Washington, D.C.

Caught: Delta force commandos nabbed Ahmed Abu Khattala, the 42-year-old suspected ringleader in the 2012 Benghazi consulate attack on Sunday after he taunted American officials for months

Khattala is said to be a 'senior leader' of Ansar al-Sharia - the group that U.S. officials believe was behind the attack that killed four Americans on September 11, 2012 - including U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. American officials have stopped short of calling him a 'mastermind.'



Nearly two years after the deadly assault, he is the first person held to account by American authorities.



Khattala, a 42-year-old hardline Muslim leader, has openly taunted U.S. authorities for years, appearing in public in Benghazi for several interviews with American media, including CNN, in August 2013 - days after the Justice Department levied terrorism charges against him.



U.S. commandos and the FBI captured Ahmed Abu Khattala, said to be one of the masterminds behind the 2012 consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya

Burned out: The American consulate in Benghazi was burned out and destroyed by the terrorist attack on September 11, 2012. Khattala is the only person so far arrested for the deadly raid

Khattala has remained free to roam his hometown of Beghanzi, despite being indicted by U.S. authorities. He said he was never questioned by American officials even though he made no attempt to hide.



He told the New York Times that he did not plan or participate in the assault, though he admitted he was there at the end.



Witnesses describe seeing him direct the fighters who stormed the gates of the American compound.

The raid Sunday was carried out jointly by Delta Force, the U.S. Army's most elite special operations unit, and the FBI after more than a year of planning, the Daily Beast reports.



The commandos even went so far as to build a mock-up of Khattala's compound on their base at Fort Bragg, North Carolina - like the Navy's SEAL Team Six did before the Osama bin Laden raid.



However, American officials are billing it as a major achievement for the White House.

President Barack Obama trumpeted the victory, saying that Khattala will face 'the full weight of American justice.'

'It's important for us to send a message to the world that when Americans are attacked, no matter how long it takes, we will find those responsible and we will bring them to justice,' he said before a speech on manufacturing in Pittsburgh on Tuesday.



One source told the Post that Khattala's capture is 'a reminder that when the United States says it’s going to hold someone accountable and he will face justice, this is what we mean.'

The White House would not comment on why he was captured now - nearly a year after he was indicted.

However, the Daily Beast cites a source who suggests that Obama lacked the legal authority to send troops into Libya unilaterally because Khattala didn't have links to al-Qeada.

Only recently have investigators found links between him and the terrorists who attacked the United States in 2001.



The time, however, is a victory that comes at a bad time for President Obama foreign policy. The return of prisoner of war Bowe Bergdahl in exchange for five Guantanamo detainees and the rise of a violent sectarian uprising in Iraq have had Obama on a back footing.



National tragedy: Christopher Stevens, who succumbed to smoke inhalation after the attack, was the first U.S. Ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979

Former U.S. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty (left) and Tyrone Woods (right) were working as CIA security contractors when they were killed defending from a second wave of the attack



Sean Smith, an IT specialist for the U.S. Foreign Service, was also killed in the attack

Stevens, the first U.S. Ambassador killed in the line of duty since 1979, died of smoke inhalation after the terrorist attackers set fire to the U.S. compound.



Sean Smith, a 34-year-old computer system manager with the U.S. Foreign Service was also killed.



Former U.S. Navy SEALs Glen Doherty and Tyrone S. Woods, who were working as U.S. security contractors for the Central Intelligence Agency, died in the second wave of the attack as they defended the adjacent CIA building after mounting a rescue mission.

White House spokesman Jay Carney would not comment on where Khattla would be held as he awaits trial - whether it would be in a federal facility or the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.



Officials told the Post that he would likely remain on the U.S. Navy ship to be interrogated by military and intelligence agents.



Then a 'clean team' would be brought in to give him his Miranda Rights and question him in a manner that could be used at a federal trial.



The 2012 Benghazi attack has been a major political liability for the White House and for then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Republicans have launched numerous official investigations and alleged that officials botched security at the consulate and ignored Stevens' request for more guards.



They also claim Obama Administration officials tried to over up the real motive for the terrorist attack - claiming at the time that it was a riot over an anti-Islamic video - to improve Obama's reelection chances.

The House of Representatives recently established a select committee, nearly two years after the incident, to formally review the handling of the run-up to and aftermath of the assault.

