Days before the deadly attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, the militant charged in the assault complained about the presence of an American facility in the Libyan city, the government said Tuesday in court documents.
Abu Ahmed Khattala, captured by U.S. Special Forces on June 15, is charged with federal terrorism charges in the Sept. 11, 2012 attack in which U.S. ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.
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The U.S. Attorney said in a motion to keep the alleged terrorist locked up — that Khattala supervised the attack and was motivated by his “extremist ideology.” It also said that after the attack, Khattala was nervous about American retaliation and increased his security.
"The defendant has repeatedly expressed his hatred of Americans and his efforts to target American and Western interests," the papers say. "Those efforts included his participation in the attack for which he is charged."
The court papers were filed ahead of Khattala’s detention hearing before a federal judge Wednesday. He has pleaded not guilty.
