CIA operatives testify at Benghazi trial

Witnesses appear under pseudonyms in prosecution of attack’s suspected leader

WASHINGTON -- The trial of the accused mastermind of the September 2012 attacks that killed four Americans at a U.S. special diplomatic mission and CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, turned Tuesday to testimony by two active CIA security-force operatives.

Two CIA witnesses were scheduled to testify under the pseudonyms "Edwards" and "Charles" in a courtroom closed to nearly everyone but the defendant, Ahmed Abu Khattala, 46; the lawyers for each side; jurors; U.S. District Judge Christopher Cooper of Washington; and courtroom personnel, according to in-court discussions last week among Cooper, prosecutors and defense lawyers.

As has been done since the trial started Oct. 2, a live audio stream of the CIA operatives' testimony was to be fed to two other rooms at the federal courthouse in Washington for observers, including journalists.

Video feeds that have been provided in the ancillary rooms show the judge, attorneys, exhibits and defense table, but a camera showing the witness stand was to be turned off during the testimony by the CIA operatives, prosecutors said.

The role of CIA security personnel and the location of the annex have already been acknowledged in court filings and in open court at Abu Khattala's trial.

The Justice Department asked for the closed hearing to protect the men's identities because they continue to work as secret, undercover security for the agency, prosecutors said. Courts in the past have allowed CIA witnesses to testify behind partitions or while wearing light disguises, such as wigs, false beards or eyeglasses.

Cooper approved another atypical prosecution request -- to which the defense agreed -- to allow "front office" representatives of the operatives' employer to sit in the courtroom for the testimony because of the organization's stake in the trial.

Court transcripts of the discussions about that request show that each side thought having some people sitting in the public benches in the courtroom might avoid signaling to jurors that the courtroom had been cleared for a special purpose, a cue that could be prejudicial if it affected how jurors weighed the testimony they then would hear.

The court released transcripts of last week's proceedings Friday.

Prosecutors also are posting exhibits that have been introduced at the end of each trial day.

The CIA's secret contractor security force, called the Global Response Staff, guarded the annex and helped protect the mission, where U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and State Department communications aide Sean Patrick Smith were killed, witnesses and prosecutors have said in court. Security force members Glen Doherty and Tyrone Woods died at the annex, where they fought alongside other Global Response Staff and State Department security personnel.

Abu Khattala, a Libyan national who led a brigade of the Ansar al-Sharia militia, which the United States has designated a terrorist organization and holds responsible for the Benghazi attacks, has pleaded innocent to 18 charges including conspiracy to support terrorism, murder, attempted murder and damaging U.S. facilities. He faces life in prison if convicted.

Three other people are expected to testify this week: a man who witnessed the assault, the widow of a man who was killed, and a member of the Global Response Staff.

The trial is set today to hear again from the State Department's chief regional security officer at the small, special diplomatic mission in Benghazi at the time, Alec Henderson. He had testified for several hours before the trial broke Thursday for the weekend and the federal holiday Monday.

In the transcripts, prosecutors said they expect testimony later this week from Dorothy Narvaez Woods, a Navy veteran, University of Maryland-educated dentist and the widow of Tyrone Woods.

Also expected is testimony by Global Response Staff member and U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Tiegen, prosecutors said. Tiegen will testify openly because his name is well-known, prosecutors said. He was identified in a feature film and book about the Benghazi attack co-written by several Global Response Staff members.

A Section on 10/11/2017

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