The Benghazi attacks happened in 2012. It has been over five years. U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens's final words have been revealed.
“When I die, you need to pick up my gun and keep fighting.”
Stevens said these final words to his bodyguard, Diplomatic Security Sepcial Agent Scott Wickland.
This surfaced while Wickland was testifying Monday in the trial of Ahmed Abu Kattala, the man who is accused of planning the attacks in Benghazi that killed Stevens and three other Americans.
Per The Washington Post:
Wickland's riveting on-the-ground testimony in a federal courtroom in Washington set the scene of Americans under fire for prosecutors, but by itself did not directly implicate Abu Khattala, a Libyan militia leader captured overseas by U.S. commandos in 2014.
Abu Khattala has pleaded not guilty to 18 counts including murder, attempted murder, material support of terrorism and destruction of U.S. facilities in the Benghazi attacks of Sept. 11 and Sept. 12, 2012. He faces a life sentence if convicted.
During his testimony, Wickland said he was unsure whether he would survive the attack or not. He also spoke about the moment when he lost Stevens and U.S. State Department staffer Sean Smith.
Stevens and Smith were crawling behind Wickman while they were searching for a bedroom with a window they could escape out of. After Wickman was able to exit out of a window, he was alone.
After getting through the window, while vomiting from the smoke and taking fire, Wickman pulled the ladder up.
“That's when I knew [Stevens and Smith] were dead,” Wickland recalled.
Glen Doherty and Tyrone Smith, both former Navy SEALs were also killed in the attack.
Per Town Hall:
"I was breathing through the last centimeter of air on the ground," he said. "I'm yelling, 'Come on. We can make it. We're going to the bathroom.' Within 8 meters, they disappeared."
He said he completely lost track of them even though they were all together.
"To this day, I don't even know where they went. I was right next to them, and then that's it," Wickland said. "I had my hand on Ambassador Stevens. I could hear Sean shuffling."
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