• Khattala flown in for court appearance in Washington • Suspect had been held on USS New York in Mediterranean • Capture prompts mixed feelings in Benghazi • Opinion: trial should be held in New York

A Libyan militia leader pleaded not guilty in a US federal court on Saturday to a terrorism charge in the 2012 attack on the US diplomatic compound in Benghazi that killed four Americans. Ahmed Abu Khattala was transferred to the US District Court in Washington on Saturday morning from a Navy warship where he had been held since his June 15 capture by US special operations forces in Libya.



He was charged at an afternoon hearing with conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists resulting in death in the attack that killed US ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Benghazi.

The attack on September 11 2012 triggered a political firestorm for President Barack Obama, with Republicans accusing his administration of misrepresenting the circumstances and of lax protection for diplomats.



The charge against Khatallah carries a maximum penalty of life in prison, the Justice Department said. The department said it intended to file additional charges shortly.



Khatallah was not shackled when he appeared before Magistrate Judge John Facciola and kept his hands behind him as he gave answers through an interpreter. He wore a dark hoodie and black trousers and had long gray hair and a gray beard.

Khatallah was transferred to US soil by helicopter, a US official said.



Federal charges filed against him in July 2013 but kept under court seal until this month also included killing a person on US property and a firearms violation.



There was heightened security around the federal courthouse building, which is blocks from the US Capitol and across the street from the National Gallery of Art, prime tourist destinations in Washington. Two or three armed US marshals patrolled the perimeter of the building.



Khatallah was taken aboard the USS New York, an amphibious transport ship, after his seizure in a raid on the outskirts of Benghazi. At the time of Khatallah's capture, a US official said he was expected to be questioned by an interrogation team at sea. The unit seeks information from suspects that might prevent future attacks.



Khatallah was in US military custody for nearly two weeks before being transferred into the American civilian court system.



Khatallah denied in a Reuters interview in October 2012 that he was a leader of Ansar al-Sharia, an Islamist group Washington accuses of carrying out the assault on the consulate. His capture was a victory for Obama, who has been accused by Republicans of playing down the role of al-Qaida in the Benghazi attacks for political reasons and of being slow to deliver on promises of justice.



Republicans said then secretary of state Hillary Clinton failed to take steps to ensure the safety of American diplomatic personnel, an issue that is still resonating as Clinton considers running for US president in 2016.



Khatallah's capture also led to Republican criticism, with some lawmakers calling for him to be taken to the US prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for military prosecution. Obama has sought to close down the Guantanamo prison and his policy has been to try terrorism suspects caught abroad in the US justice system.

Most terrorism suspects tried in the United States since the attacks have been prosecuted at federal courts in New York and Alexandria, Virginia.