Updated

The Libyan government has denied it had prior knowledge of the U.S. capture of a top suspect in the deadly 2012 assault on Americans in Benghazi and demanded his return.

In a statement read on television Wednesday, the interim government condemned the seizure of Ahmed Abu Khattala, who the U.S. accuses of involvement in the attack on its consulate in Benghazi that left four Americans dead, including Ambassador Chris Stevens.

Abu Khattala is headed for the United States to face what President Barak Obama called "the full weight of the American justice system." Obama called the Libyan an "alleged key leader" of the attack.

The Libyan statement said: "The government stresses its right to try Abu Khattala on its territories and according to its laws."