US Special Operations forces have captured Mustafa al-Imam, a key terrorist who officials say was involved in the 2012 attack on a US diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya.

The announcement of al-Imam's capture was made Monday by US officials.

The Benghazi attack resulted in the death of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans.

The commandos captured al-Imam in Libya just before midnight local time Sunday. Officials said the suspect is in the process of being transported back to the U.S. by military plane and is in the custody of the Department of Justice.

The officials, who asked not to be identified, said the mission was approved by President Donald Trump and carried out in coordination with Libya's internationally recognized government.



"Yesterday, on my orders, United States forces captured Mustafa al-Imam in Libya. Because of this successful operation, al-Imam will face justice in the United States for his alleged role in the September 11, 2012 attacks in Benghazi, which resulted in the deaths of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods—four brave Americans who were serving our country," President Trump said in a statement released by the White House.

"To the families of these fallen heroes: I want you to know that your loved ones are not forgotten, and they will never be forgotten," the president said. "Our memory is deep and our reach is long, and we will not rest in our efforts to find and bring the perpetrators of the heinous attacks in Benghazi to justice."

"I want to thank our law enforcement, prosecutors, intelligence community, and military personnel for their extraordinary efforts in gathering evidence, interviewing witnesses, and tracking down fugitives associated with the attack, capturing them, and delivering them to the United States for prosecution," Trump continued. "The United States will continue to support our Libyan partners to ensure that ISIS and other terrorist groups do not use Libya as a safe haven for attacks against United States citizens or interests, Libyans, and others."

The Sept. 11, 2012 attack by armed militants killed Stevens, State Department information management officer Sean Patrick Smith and contract security officers Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty.

Stevens and Smith died in the burning diplomatic outpost despite efforts to rescue them. Woods and Doherty died nearly eight hours later in a mortar attack on a nearby CIA complex.

Earlier this month, another man accused in the attack, Abu Khattala, went on trial in federal court in Washington. Khattala has pleaded not guilty to the 18 charges against him, including murder of an internationally protected person, providing material support to terrorists and destroying U.S. property while causing death.

The assault was the subject of numerous congressional investigations to find out what happened and whether the Obama administration misled the public.

Former US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, said the attack had grown out of a protest against an anti-Muslim internet film. Later, the administration reversed that stance, saying it was a planned terrorist attack.

It was the two-year Benghazi probe by a House committee that revealed Hillary Clinton used a private email server for government work, prompting an FBI investigation that proved to severely damage her presidential campaign.