The Department of Justice is keeping the charges against the suspect, Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khattalah, under seal, but CBS News’ Margaret Brennan reports that the suspect has been living openly in Benghazi since the September, 2012 attack. Khattalah admitted to CBS News last fall that he was at the scene on the night of the attack, but denied a personal role in the violence. “I went to help four men who were trapped inside,” Boukhatala told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer. When he arrived, though, the men were gone, according to the Islamist militant. At the time, Libya’s government had told CBS News that Boukhatala was a “prime suspect” in the attack on the U.S. offices, but asked about that accusation by Palmer, the militant smiled and said, “if that’s what the President is saying, then he should come to my house and arrest me.” But that’s something Libya’s government security forces wouldn’t have dared to do. Khattalah is the chief of a ferocious militia in Benghazi, the Abu Ubaidah Brigades – a sub-group of the larger Ansar al Shariah militia. Palmer reported that the militia — armed to the teeth with weapons looted from deposed dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s arsenals — acted at the time of the attack as both military and police in parts of Benghazi. The government’s security forces, the official police and army, are simply too weak to push them out. Khattalah told Palmer that the attackers were merely ordinary people armed with rocket-propelled grenades and added that he expected a fight should the government move to arrest Islamist militia members suspected in the attack. It remains unclear whether the U.S. has now asked Libyan authorities to arrest Khattalah or whether the FBI has identified the other suspects, pictured alongside Khattalah in a series of photos taken from the security cameras at the consulate. The other men are thought to be members of Khattalah’s militia. Neither the militia nor Khattalah have been specifically identified by the U.S. government as terrorists, according to Brennan. “The investigation is ongoing. It has been and remains, a top priority,” Justice Department spokesman Andrew C. Ames said Tuesday. However, the FBI has not made any arrests in the 11 months since the attack and the Obama Administration faces mounting pressure to take action. Last week, a small but vocal group of eight Republican congressmen sent a message to the newly-confirmed FBI Director James Comey, pressing him to take action. In the letter, initiated by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-U.T.), the legislators called the administration’s investigation thus far “unacceptable” and called for an “aggressive” investigation.”

No Comments on The Department of Justice is keeping the charges against the suspect, Libyan militia leader Ahmed Abu Khattalah, under seal, but CBS News’ Margaret Brennan reports that the suspect has been living openly in Benghazi since the September, 2012 attack. Khattalah admitted to CBS News last fall that he was at the scene on the night of the attack, but denied a personal role in the violence. “I went to help four men who were trapped inside,” Boukhatala told CBS News correspondent Elizabeth Palmer. When he arrived, though, the men were gone, according to the Islamist militant. At the time, Libya’s government had told CBS News that Boukhatala was a “prime suspect” in the attack on the U.S. offices, but asked about that accusation by Palmer, the militant smiled and said, “if that’s what the President is saying, then he should come to my house and arrest me.” But that’s something Libya’s government security forces wouldn’t have dared to do. Khattalah is the chief of a ferocious militia in Benghazi, the Abu Ubaidah Brigades – a sub-group of the larger Ansar al Shariah militia. Palmer reported that the militia — armed to the teeth with weapons looted from deposed dictator Muammar Qaddafi’s arsenals — acted at the time of the attack as both military and police in parts of Benghazi. The government’s security forces, the official police and army, are simply too weak to push them out. Khattalah told Palmer that the attackers were merely ordinary people armed with rocket-propelled grenades and added that he expected a fight should the government move to arrest Islamist militia members suspected in the attack. It remains unclear whether the U.S. has now asked Libyan authorities to arrest Khattalah or whether the FBI has identified the other suspects, pictured alongside Khattalah in a series of photos taken from the security cameras at the consulate. The other men are thought to be members of Khattalah’s militia. Neither the militia nor Khattalah have been specifically identified by the U.S. government as terrorists, according to Brennan. “The investigation is ongoing. It has been and remains, a top priority,” Justice Department spokesman Andrew C. Ames said Tuesday. However, the FBI has not made any arrests in the 11 months since the attack and the Obama Administration faces mounting pressure to take action. Last week, a small but vocal group of eight Republican congressmen sent a message to the newly-confirmed FBI Director James Comey, pressing him to take action. In the letter, initiated by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-U.T.), the legislators called the administration’s investigation thus far “unacceptable” and called for an “aggressive” investigation.”

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“This is a movement of defensive assets operating in an air-to-air role only,” the statement continued. “They are not deploying to take part in any military action against Syria. The (prime minister) has made clear no decision has been taken on our response and the gGovernment has said that there will be a Commons vote before direct military involvement.” U.S. officials describe the Pentagon decision as prudent planning and say it doesn’t suggest the carrier would play a role in any possible strikes in Syria. The officials were not authorized to discuss ship movements publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The U.S. had kept two carriers in the region, but budget cuts in February forced officials to cut to one. CBS News correspondent David Martin reports two submarines — one American, one British — are in the eastern Mediterranean along with four American destroyers and a fifth on the way — all armed with cruise missiles. That’s more than enough firepower for a strike Pentagon officials say would be limited to fewer than 50 targets. Each of the destroyers carries about 40 cruise missiles – a satellite-guided weapon that carries a 1,000-pound warhead, has a range of 1000 miles or more and is accurate to within about 15 feet. Standard procedure would be for the ships to fire an opening salvo at night, wait for satellites to assess the damage and re-strike any targets that were not destroyed — a process that could take a few days. Any strike against Syria, Martin points out, would be designed to convince its dictator, President Bashar Assad, never to use chemical weapons again. But airstrikes never succeeded in changing the behavior of another Mideast dictator — Iraq’s Saddam Hussein — until he was finally captured and hanged.
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