WASHINGTON -- Ahmed Abu Khattala, charged in the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi, Libya, was captured with a loaded firearm as he planned future attacks against American interests, federal prosecutors said ahead of his detention hearing today.

Khattala, the first person arrested over the raid that claimed four American lives, including Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens', is to appear today in federal court in Washington. In a court filing Tuesday night, prosecutors released new details about his suspected role in the attack to bolster their argument that he should not be released on bond.

He is being held in a jail in the Washington suburb of Alexandria, Va., having been captured in Libya on June 15.

The 11-page court filing focused on Khattala's reported hatred of the U.S., his complaints before the attack about the presence of a U.S. mission in Benghazi, his plans for more terrorist attacks and his nagging fear that the U.S. would retaliate against him.

Prosecutors described Khattala as more than just a passer-by on the night of the raid, as he has claimed about himself in various news interviews since the attack. The government said he was "motivated by his extremist ideology."

Further, Khattala, "in the days before the attack, voiced concern and opposition to the presence of an American facility in Benghazi."

Prosecutors said that "in the days that followed the attack, the defendant attempted to obtain various types of equipment, including weapons, to defend himself from feared American retaliation for the attack."

They added, "The defendant has continued to make efforts to target American personnel and property since the attack and discuss with others his deadly and destructive intentions."

A Section on 07/02/2014