Developing: Pakistani Plane Escorted by UK Fighter Jets — 2 Men Arrested

Listen to the Buck Sexton Show Live on TheBlaze Radio

World

Suspect in Benghazi Consulate Attack Freed Due to Lack of Evidence

Jan. 8, 2013 8:08am Jonathon M. Seidl

Benghazi, Libya, Suspect Ali Harzi Set Free in Tunisia

FILE – On this Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2012 file photo, a man looks at documents at the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, after an attack that killed four Americans, including Ambassador Chris Stevens. The graffiti reads, “no God but God,” ” God is great,” and “Muhammad is the Prophet.” Credit: AP

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — A man linked by officials to the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi has been conditionally released by a Tunisian judge due to lack of evidence, his lawyer said Tuesday.

The release of Ali Harzi, a 26-year-old Tunisian, appears to represent a blow to the investigation of the Sept. 11 attack on the consulate in Libya that killed the U.S. 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, some of whom may have been involved in the attack.

Harzi was one of very few people in custody in relation to the attack. U.S. 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 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 had 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 U.S. embassy in Tunis three days later.

U.S. 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 U.S. 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 U.S. wants to question about the attack according to U.S. officials.

In Libya especially, investigating the attack is difficult because authorities rely on the numerous militias made up of tens of thousands of young Libyans who took up arms against former leader Moammar Gadhafi. It is often difficult to draw clear lines between those providing security and those causing instability.

In a recent TV interview, Harzi’s father, Tahar, said his son was just working in Libya in construction supporting his family.

Both Ali and his brother, Brahim, have had brushes with the law before, however. In 2005 the two were sentenced to 30 months in prison for having contact with another brother, Tarek, who fought against coalition forces in Iraq, according to lawyer Oued-Ali.

The father acknowledged that he had encouraged his sons to take up “jihad in the cause of God.”

Benghazi, IRS, AP...What's next? Only TheBlaze TV offers the truth from Glenn Beck, Andrew Wilkow, and Real News from TheBlaze. Get instant access and a free trial here.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (28)

Spankster
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 2:31pm
Well as Gomer used to say…Surprise Surprise…Nuff said.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- YAHSHUARULES
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 3:08pm
  You gotta see this to believe it!
  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjnUbds-JMU
  
  More of the agenda to use public policy to subvert America from inside, infiltrate and influence our culture driving us in a direction designed to destroy us. . No conspiracy – just verifiable facts! If you don’t know all this you need to find out!
  
  This is the most comprehensive, best movie I have seen pulling all this together. I have watched it 12X to absorb all that is in it…give it 5 minutes and you won’t be able to walk away
  
  Watch it. Share it. Arrange a showing in church, groups, clubs, with friends or family. Everyone who loves America needs to see this movie,
  It is free on line for the moment
  https://vimeo.com/52009124
  If America goes down, the free world will go down with it and it will be finished for a very, very long time…
  
  Report this comment
moreteaplease
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 10:55am
Considering that it took a month before U.S. investigators were permitted to enter the compound to gather evidence ( this is so the evidence could be removed beforehand ), and they were only there 1 day sure reminds me of how the Vince Foster investigation was done.

The investigators were already told by the Clinton administration that they were to rule Foster’s death as a suicide. The Benghazi case was handled the same way. A Clinton was in office both times… Coincidence? I think not.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
MiCurmudgeon
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 10:30am
Any chance it is because Obama/Holder’s DOJ failed to gather evidence in an orderly manner? They were too worried about arresting a guy who made a short film which nobody saw until advertised by the White House.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Cavallo
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:42am
Bobo the wonder Marxist might give him a medal for helping him tie up loose ends, then again, he did get caught, and embarrassed the Messiah. His own life might be in jeopardy. You know what happens to the villain’s incompetent henchmen.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
IndyGuy
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:42am
After 4 months, did you expect anything different??? And why are the survivors of the attack being hidden from Congress???

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:32am
World
Suspect in Benghazi Consulate Attack Freed Due to Lack of Evidence……………………….And soon to be Dining at the Jihad House ( White House ) no doubt.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
graceunderfire
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:27am
They had to free him, heaven forbid that he had information about what happened. We will never know exactly what happened, because the press won’t cover the truth and the administration won’t let there be an real investigation.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- jcldwl
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:42am
  If he had real information he would be dead. Isn’t that why our ambassador was sent in to a situation he should never have been in? The Clinton’s were dirty (never forget the dead that surrounded that administration). and this regime is no different. Oh I forgot they are part of it too. We are in for a world of hurt.
  
  Report this comment
Eastinfection
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:24am
If the ski-mask don’t fit-
you got to acquit!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
T-2
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:18am
What about the film maker? where is he?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Vickie Dhaene
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:37am
  Still in jail for violating his probation. Is this Insane or what?
  
  Report this comment
T-2
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:17am
His camel was cheating on him with the goat.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
rockymtngal
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:08am
Obama unconditionally released because he won’t accept any blame for the attack in Benghazi. Drones proved it wasn’t a riot, and all of those emails requesting help are just “suggestions” made by Embassador Stevens are just rumors.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
The_Woofster
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:52am
He must of led the standing ovation that Hillary received after she got “all better”…….

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Dismayed Veteran
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:36am
The new Pax Americana.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
hempstead1944
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:34am
Just when you think this thing couldn’t stink any worse……..it does!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
ares338
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:34am
These people are NOT our friends and we should cut off all aid and get the heII out of almost all of these flea ridden sand pits. We are broke….why doesn’t Washingon realize that?

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:40am
  Because Obama is allied with the terrorists for his own agendas, he cannot see or does not care about the madness and evil he is spreading around the world.
  
  Report this comment
- SaturdaysWarrior76
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 9:06am
  @Snow: I think we can all agree “That Guy” knows EXACTLY what he is doing. :(
  
  Report this comment
- missdagnytaggart
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 12:48pm
  “That guy” was running guns.
  
  Report this comment
SamIamTwo
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:28am
Catch and release, imposed by the full moon wheel effect…no doubt!

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
watashbuddyfriend
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:22am
Still trying to find a ‘scapegoat!’

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
engineerairborne
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:17am
And we continue to call these countries our allies and friends why?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
ZAP
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:15am
I heard they let him go because he had a concussion…

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Zipit
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:45am
  ZAP! Nothing a little waterboarding wouldn’t have cured! ZIP…….
  
  Report this comment
kickagrandma
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:10am
Bull…….
BULLLL……….
B-U-L-L ……

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- oldguy49
  Posted on January 8, 2013 at 8:18am
  syrprise -surprise-surprise………..after all our own ar not even fired and jailed{just given another job} for incompetence and lying and stealing and yes aiding in murder in bengazi
  
  Report this comment

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.