(CNN) – Ahmed Abu Khatallah, the Libyan militia leader convicted for his role in the deadly 2012 terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, was resentenced Thursday to 28 years in prison, even though prosecutors were seeking at least 60 years. to life imprisonment.
The new sentence comes more than two years after a federal appeals court in Washington ruled that his original 22-year sentence was “unreasonably low” and ordered the judge who imposed it to resentence him.
Federal prosecutors had been seeking a new sentence of life in prison or at least 60 years, but U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper added just six more years to Khatallah’s sentence, saying he did not believe the crimes for which who was convicted would justify a substantially higher prison sentence.
Khatallah was convicted in 2018 on four federal charges stemming from his role in the attack: conspiracy to provide material support and resources to terrorists; provide material support and resources to terrorists; destroy a federal building; and carrying a semi-automatic assault weapon during a violent crime.
Cooper sentenced him six years ago to 12 years for the first three offenses, which he had been serving simultaneously. The judge also sentenced Khatallah to 10 years for the fourth offense and ordered him to serve that time after completing the 12-year sentence.
The new sentence consists of 15 years for the first two crimes and 18 years for the third crime, which will be served simultaneously. The judge upheld the 10-year sentence for the fourth offense, which Khatallah will serve after the first 18 years.
During a seven-week trial in 2018, federal prosecutors portrayed Khatallah as the ringleader of the Benghazi attacks and a “cold-blooded terrorist.” A jury in Washington, DC, ultimately found him not guilty of the murders of US Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens, as well as US government employees Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods, and Doherty.
