Mustafa al-Imam, a 47-year-old Libyan, has been sentenced to 19 years in prison for his role in the Benghazi attack that killed four Americans:

Mustafa al-Imam, 47, was sentenced to 236 months after being convicted by a jury in June on charges of conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists and maliciously destroying and injuring a dwelling and placing lives in jeopardy, the Justice Department said.

But al-Imam was not convicted of other counts, which included allegations of killing a person while attacking a federal facility.

A DOJ press released published yesterday described Al-Imam’s role in the attack:

Al-Imam arrived at the Mission shortly after the attack began, accompanying Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the leader of an extremist militia named Ubaydah bin Jarrah and one of the planners of the attack.  During the attack on the Mission, al-Imam maintained contact with Khatallah in a series of cellphone calls, including an 18-minute phone call that took place during the height of the attack.  Members of Ubaydah bin Jarrah, as well as other extremist groups, were caught on surveillance video attacking the Mission.  After the American security personnel withdrew from the Mission, al-Imam, Khatallah, several UBJ members, and other extremists entered the Mission’s office and removed sensitive information, including maps and other documents related to the location of the CIA’s Annex in Benghazi.

Following the attack at the Mission, in the early hours of Sept. 12, 2012, the violence continued at the CIA Annex, first with gunfire and then with a precision mortar attack.  While defending the Annex, Mr. Woods, Mr. Doherty, DSS Special Agent David Ubben, and CIA security specialist Mark Tiegen were hit by a precision mortar attack, leading to the deaths of Mr. Woods and Mr. Doherty.  Special Agent Ubben and Mr. Tiegen were seriously wounded but survived.

Al-Imam was captured during a US special forces raid of Libya in 2017. He was charged with “conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists and maliciously destroying and injuring a dwelling and placing lives in jeopardy” and was found guilty on June 13, 2019.

Announcing the sentence, Assistant Attorney General John Demers said, “We have not rested in our efforts to bring to justice those involved in the terrorist attacks on our facilities in Benghazi, which led to the death of four courageous Americans – Tyrone Woods, Sean Smith, Glen Doherty, and Ambassador Christopher Stevens – and we never will.”

Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the man with whom Al-Imam was on the phone during the attack, was captured on an earlier raid in 2014. He was charged and in 2017 was found guilty of planning and carrying out the attack. However, he was acquitted of the most serious charges against him, that his actions caused the deaths of the four Americans. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison in 2018.