WASHINGTON—The Justice Department has filed sealed criminal charges against a number of suspects in the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi that killed the U.S. ambassador to Libya and three others, according to people familiar with the matter.
The exact nature of the charges wasn't clear, nor was the number of suspects named in the case. But the lack of public charges has led critics of the Obama administration, particularly Republicans in Congress, to challenge the administration's handling not just of the immediate response to the attacks, but of the long-term response as well. Some conservatives have accused the administration of covering up its failures on the night of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, and beforehand—accusations the administration has strenuously denied.
In May, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released images of three men who were at the compound and who were being sought for questioning. It's unclear if any of those facing criminal charges are the same as the ones in those FBI images.
Write to Devlin Barrett at [email protected]
Corrections & Amplifications
The U.S. filed sealed charges against a number of individuals related to last year's attack on U.S. diplomatic posts in Benghazi, Libya. A headline on an earlier version of this article incorrectly said the U.S. filed sealed indictments.
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The exact nature of the charges wasn't clear, nor was the number of suspects named in the case. But the lack of public charges has led critics of the Obama administration, particularly Republicans in Congress, to challenge the administration's handling not just of the immediate response to the attacks, but of the long-term response as well. Some conservatives have accused the administration of covering up its failures on the night of the Sept. 11, 2012, attack, and beforehand—accusations the administration has strenuously denied.
In May, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released images of three men who were at the compound and who were being sought for questioning. It's unclear if any of those facing criminal charges are the same as the ones in those FBI images.
Write to Devlin Barrett at [email protected]
Corrections & Amplifications
The U.S. filed sealed charges against a number of individuals related to last year's attack on U.S. diplomatic posts in Benghazi, Libya. A headline on an earlier version of this article incorrectly said the U.S. filed sealed indictments.
• Invalid email address.
• You can't enter more than 20 emails.
• Seperate multiple addresses with Commas.
• Must enter an email address.
• You must enter the verification code below to send.
• Invalid entry: Please type the verification code again.