Libyan diplomats condemned the U.S. military’s capture of Benghazi suspect Ahmed Abu Khatallah and have demanded his return.
Khatallah was captured Sunday in a secret operation near Benghazi, where U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed in the 2012 raid.
“The Libyan government condemns this regrettable infringement on Libya’s sovereignty,” Libyan foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Alaswad said Wednesday, BBC News reported.
Justice Minister Salah al-Marghani said Tripoli had not been notified of the operation in advance, contrary to earlier statements by the Pentagon.
“This should come as no surprise to anyone, least of all the Libyan government,” Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby said a day earlier. “I can tell you that they were notified about this capture operation.”
Mr. Marghani demanded Khatallah’s return to Libya so he could serve out an arrest warrant there. He provided no further details, BBC reported.
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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