By Libya Herald reporters.
Tunis, 9 November 2017:
The second Libyan held by the Americans on suspicion of involvement in the 2012 Benghazi attack which killed US ambassador Chris Stevens and three other diplomatic personnel was indicted in a Washington court today.
Mohamed Al-Imam’s lawyer Matthew Peed entered a not guilty plea in the US District Court to a charge of conspiracy to provides material support and resources to terrorists resulting in death. Imam appeared in an orange jumpsuit.
Peed argued that the evidence against his client was not as serious as the US government was claiming. He said it was based on a video that showed Imam leaving the US mission in the city with some equipment which the authorities claimed was later used in the attack.
Peed maintained that Imam, who he said suffered from arthritis, was not a flight-risk and should be allowed to stay in a half-way house wearing a GPS tracker. However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge Deborah Robinson ruled that the suspect should be detained without a bond. No date for the next hearing was set.
Imam was seized in Misrata last month, supposedly by US special forces.
He was the second Benghazi mission murder suspect to be seized by the Americans. In June 2014 Ansar Al-Sharia leader Ahmed Bukhatallah, was captured in Benghazi
Bukhatallah also entered a not guilty plea when his trial began in Washington this June.
