By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:51 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:54 EST, 29 October 2013 . U.S. commandos were just hours away from launching a raid this month to capture a militiaman wanted in the deadly Benghazi terror attack, according to officials. Special forces were waiting for orders to capture Ahmed Abu Khattalah, part of the Ansar Al-Sharia militia, but the mission failed to materialize according to CNN. The order never came after a terrorist wanted over the 1998 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was seized in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Attack: A protester shouts outside the burning U.S. consulate in Benghazi where four Americans were killed in September 2012 . Wanted: The FBI has released the images of three men caught on security cameras at the compound before the attack that it wants to question . Publicity surrounding the October 5 capture of Abu Anas al-Libi, a suspect in the 1998 terror attack, put the imminent Khattalah . mission in jeopardy, according . to some officials. It was feared that a second U.S. raid in Libya could destabilize the country's already fragile government. Raid: Terror suspect Abu Anas al-Libi was caught in an October 5 raid in Tripoli . Khattalah is believed to be behind the . armed assault on the U.S. Embassy that killed ambassador Christopher . Stevens and three other Americans. President Obama said it was a 'priority' to bring the Benghazi suspects 'to justice'. Khattalah is under federal indictment and the FBI is still investigating the attack. The agency has published photographs of people seen at the compound on the night of the raid, who it wants to question. Although the Libyan government publicly denounced the capture of al-Libi it had given the U.S. secret services permission to work in the country. American officials have a list of about 12 suspects they want to question about the attack. However, the planned raid earlier this month may have been one of the closest times forces have come to fulfilling a mission, officials said. Khattalah, who was interviewed by CNN's Arwa Damon in July, has worked openly in Benghazi for months but it was only in October that the U.S. had enough information on his specific whereabouts. A top level meeting was due to get the final sign off from President Obama around October 7, officials told CNN. The mission was never carried out however, in part because publicity over the arrest of al-Libi led the White House to fear a raid in Benghazi would destabilize the already fragile Libyan government. The kidnapping of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan after al-Libi was seized highlighted these concerns, leading U.S. officials to conclude the Libyan government may not survive a second raid. Although the raid was halted, the mission to capture the Benghazi suspects has not been shelved. Deadly: Al-Libi is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya .
Publicity surrounding capture of al-Libi jeopardized mission .
Officials feared two high-profile U.S. raids would destabilize Libya's fragile government .
By . Daily Mail Reporter . PUBLISHED: . 19:51 EST, 29 October 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 19:54 EST, 29 October 2013 . U.S. commandos were just hours away from launching a raid this month to capture a militiaman wanted in the deadly Benghazi terror attack, according to officials. Special forces were waiting for orders to capture Ahmed Abu Khattalah, part of the Ansar Al-Sharia militia, but the mission failed to materialize according to CNN. The order never came after a terrorist wanted over the 1998 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Kenya was seized in the Libyan capital Tripoli. Attack: A protester shouts outside the burning U.S. consulate in Benghazi where four Americans were killed in September 2012 . Wanted: The FBI has released the images of three men caught on security cameras at the compound before the attack that it wants to question . Publicity surrounding the October 5 capture of Abu Anas al-Libi, a suspect in the 1998 terror attack, put the imminent Khattalah . mission in jeopardy, according . to some officials. It was feared that a second U.S. raid in Libya could destabilize the country's already fragile government. Raid: Terror suspect Abu Anas al-Libi was caught in an October 5 raid in Tripoli . Khattalah is believed to be behind the . armed assault on the U.S. Embassy that killed ambassador Christopher . Stevens and three other Americans. President Obama said it was a 'priority' to bring the Benghazi suspects 'to justice'. Khattalah is under federal indictment and the FBI is still investigating the attack. The agency has published photographs of people seen at the compound on the night of the raid, who it wants to question. Although the Libyan government publicly denounced the capture of al-Libi it had given the U.S. secret services permission to work in the country. American officials have a list of about 12 suspects they want to question about the attack. However, the planned raid earlier this month may have been one of the closest times forces have come to fulfilling a mission, officials said. Khattalah, who was interviewed by CNN's Arwa Damon in July, has worked openly in Benghazi for months but it was only in October that the U.S. had enough information on his specific whereabouts. A top level meeting was due to get the final sign off from President Obama around October 7, officials told CNN. The mission was never carried out however, in part because publicity over the arrest of al-Libi led the White House to fear a raid in Benghazi would destabilize the already fragile Libyan government. The kidnapping of Prime Minister Ali Zeidan after al-Libi was seized highlighted these concerns, leading U.S. officials to conclude the Libyan government may not survive a second raid. Although the raid was halted, the mission to capture the Benghazi suspects has not been shelved. Deadly: Al-Libi is wanted in connection with the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya .
country's already fragile government. Raid: publicly denounced the capture of al-Libi it had destabilize the already fragile Libyan