The Obama administration will not be sending Abu Khatallah, the Libyan militant captured in connection to the 2012 attacks in Benghazi, to Guantanamo Bay, according to National Security Council Spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden.
Below is Hayden’s statement:
Abu Khatallah is currently in U.S. custody in a secure location outside the United States, and en route to the United States to face the charges against him. Some have suggested that he should go to GTMO. Let me rule that out from the start. 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.
Indeed, since 9/11, we have used the federal court system to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists. The effective use of the criminal justice system has resulted in the debriefing, conviction and incarceration of U.S. citizens and non-citizens for acts of terrorism committed inside the United States and around the world. The system has repeatedly proven that it can successfully allow us to gather intelligence, handle the threat that we continue to face, and prosecute terrorists.
