Egypt arrests suspect in US ambassador's killing

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Egyptian authorities have reportedly arrested a man suspected of being part of the deadly terror attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya. NBC's Ayman Mohyeldin reports.

By Ayman Mohyeldin and Charlene Gubash, NBC News

A suspect accused of involvement in the attack that killed U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in Libya has been arrested in Egypt, two intelligence sources in Cairo told NBC News Saturday.

Mohammed Abu Jamal Ahmed, allegedly a member of a militant group, was detained in Cairo where he lives, the sources said.

In addition to the allegations that he was involved in the attack in Benghazi, he is also accused of transporting weapons from Libya to Egypt, the sources added.

Ahmed, in his late 30s, was in prison prior to the uprising that deposed former President Hosni Mubarak, but managed to escape in one of several prison breaks in the aftermath of the revolution, one of the sources said.
Ahmed has been known to Egyptian intelligence officials for several years and had "active relations" with radical militant groups involved in Iraq and Afghanistan, the source said.

The attack on the Libyan consulate, as it happened

Intelligence officials believe he was involved in trading arms in Egypt, many of which came from Libya.

Ahmed was being interrogated for a possible connection with the Benghazi attack because of his arms-trading connections with extremist groups both in Libya and Egypt, the source added.

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The second source said Ahmed had fought in Libya during the uprising against ousted President Moammar Gadhafi.

But it’s not yet clear what exact role, if any, he may have played in the Benghazi attack.

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He has not been charged in Egypt’s State Security Court, the judicial body that handles security cases.

There were conflicting reports as to when Ahmed was arrested with one source saying Friday and another saying he was detained a "few weeks ago.”