With the announcement of the capture of Ahmed Abu Khattala, believed to be the ringleader behind the 2012 Benghazi attacks, the Obama administration make a key breakthrough in the investigation of the attacks. By capturing Khattala alive, they also presented themselves with a thorny problem: where to hold their new prisoner?
Despite demands from several Republican lawmakers that Khattala be detained, interrogated and tried at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the administration has decided to bring Khattala to the United States in order to face charges in federal court. This decision is consistent with Obama’s long-stated intentions to permanently close the prison.
“The administration’s policy is clear on this issue: we have not added a single person to the GTMO population since President Obama took office, and we have had substantial success delivering swift justice to terrorists through our federal court system,” a National Security Council spokeswoman reiterated.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) labelled the plan to try Khattala in civilian court “inappropriate,” and Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) called for Khattala to be placed in Guantanamo within hours of news of his arrest. They warned that by transferring Khattala to American soil, the U.S. risked losing valuable intelligence.
“If they bring him to the U.S., they will Mirandize this guy, and it will be the biggest mistake for the ages to read this guy his Miranda rights,” Graham said.
