Suspect in US consulate attack in Benghazi freed
Source: Agencies |
January 9, 2013, Wednesday
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A man linked by officials to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi has been conditionally released by a Tunisian judge due to lack of evidence, his lawyer said yesterday.
The release of Ali Harzi, a 26-year-old Tunisian, appears to represent a blow to the investigation of the September 11 attack on the consulate in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans. The investigation in Libya itself has been stalled due to the weak central government in the face of the powerful militias.
Harzi was one of very few people in custody in relation to the attack. US officials said in December that Egypt had also arrested a member of the Islamic Jihad group for possible links to the attack, but in general they lamented a lack of cooperation from local governments in their investigation and said most suspects remained free.
Harzi's lawyer Anwar Oued-Ali said the presiding judge had "conditionally freed" his client on Monday night and he has to remain in the greater Tunis area in case the court needs him. The lawyer described the release as "correcting an irregular situation" because authorities never had any real evidence.
Harzi was originally detained in Turkey and in October was extradited to Tunisia, where authorities said he was "strongly suspected" of being involved in the attack. His lawyer said he was officially charged with "membership of a terrorist organization," a charge punishable by six to 12 years in prison.
In December, FBI officials questioned Harzi for three hours in the presence of a Tunisian judge. The FBI has not commented on the results of the questioning, but Harzi's lawyer said they just asked if his client had any information about the attacks on the Benghazi consulate as well as the assault on the US embassy in Tunis three days later.
US intelligence has blamed the Benghazi attack on militants who are members of a number of different groups. They range from the local Libyan militia Ansar al-Shariah, whose members were seen at the US consulate during the attack, to militants with links to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Qaida's leading representative in the African region. The consulate's cameras captured many of the faces of armed men in a mob, and some have been questioned, but most remain free.
Authorities in the region have not yet arrested many of the suspects the US wants to question about the attack, according to US officials.
In a recent TV interview, Harzi's father Tahar said his son was just working in Libya in construction supporting his family.
The release of Ali Harzi, a 26-year-old Tunisian, appears to represent a blow to the investigation of the September 11 attack on the consulate in Libya that killed the US ambassador and three other Americans. The investigation in Libya itself has been stalled due to the weak central government in the face of the powerful militias.
Harzi was one of very few people in custody in relation to the attack. US officials said in December that Egypt had also arrested a member of the Islamic Jihad group for possible links to the attack, but in general they lamented a lack of cooperation from local governments in their investigation and said most suspects remained free.
Harzi's lawyer Anwar Oued-Ali said the presiding judge had "conditionally freed" his client on Monday night and he has to remain in the greater Tunis area in case the court needs him. The lawyer described the release as "correcting an irregular situation" because authorities never had any real evidence.
Harzi was originally detained in Turkey and in October was extradited to Tunisia, where authorities said he was "strongly suspected" of being involved in the attack. His lawyer said he was officially charged with "membership of a terrorist organization," a charge punishable by six to 12 years in prison.
In December, FBI officials questioned Harzi for three hours in the presence of a Tunisian judge. The FBI has not commented on the results of the questioning, but Harzi's lawyer said they just asked if his client had any information about the attacks on the Benghazi consulate as well as the assault on the US embassy in Tunis three days later.
US intelligence has blamed the Benghazi attack on militants who are members of a number of different groups. They range from the local Libyan militia Ansar al-Shariah, whose members were seen at the US consulate during the attack, to militants with links to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, al-Qaida's leading representative in the African region. The consulate's cameras captured many of the faces of armed men in a mob, and some have been questioned, but most remain free.
Authorities in the region have not yet arrested many of the suspects the US wants to question about the attack, according to US officials.
In a recent TV interview, Harzi's father Tahar said his son was just working in Libya in construction supporting his family.
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