A Libyan man accused of masterminding the 2012 Abu Khattala Abu Khattala
attack that killed a US ambassador and three others was acquitted Tuesday of murder but convicted on lesser terrorism charges.

After a seven week trial in a civilian court in Washington, a jury cleared Ahmed Abu Khattala of the most serious of the charges he faced, as the first person tried over the fiery raid on the US consulate in the Libyan coastal city.

Prosecutors were apparently unable to prove to the jury that Khattala, leader of a militant group who had been photographed watching the attack on September 11, 2012, was directly to blame for the deaths of US Ambassador Christopher Stevens, a second state department official, and two CIA contractor guards at the consulate and a CIA annex.