US Sentences Libyan National Involved in 2012 Benghazi Attacks to 19 Years in Prison - Justice Dept

In 2012, the US consulate in Libya's city of Benghazi was attacked by militants from the Ansar al-Sharia terror group, leaving envoy Christopher Stevens and three other American employees dead.

A Libyan national has been sentenced by a US federal court to 19-and-a-half years in prison on terror charges stemming from the attack in Benghazi that killed the US Ambassador to Libya in 2012, the Department of Justice said in a press release.

"Mustafa al-Imam, a 47-year-old Libyan national, was sentenced today to 19 years and six months in prison on federal terrorism charges and other offenses stemming from the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. Special Mission and CIA Annex in Benghazi, Libya," the Department of Justice said.

Mustafa Al-Imam Sentenced to 19 Years and Six Months in Prison for September 2012 Terrorist Attack in Benghazi, Libya https://t.co/llbmxTlIpu

— Justice Department (@TheJusticeDept) January 23, 2020

Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and US government personnel Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Glen Doherty were killed in the attack, which led to the subsequent closure of the US consulate.

Libya has been torn apart by conflict ever since the country's longtime leader Muammar Gaddafi was overthrown in 2011. Two rival administrations have since then practically split the country in two, with the Libyan National Army (LNA) controlling the east and the UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) controlling the west.