Interrogators do n't expect to have it easy with Ahmed Abu Khatallah , a Washington law enforcement official told CNN . The suspected mastermind of the 2012 attack on the U.S. mission in Benghazi , Libya , has had time to rehearse his story , the official said . But an expert who has interrogated al Qaeda operatives thinks there 's a good chance Abu Khatallah will crack , if interrogators punch the right buttons . Others have done so before him . `` Some were motivated by the uncertainty of the situations . Others were motivated , as they called it , ( by ) fatigue with the jihad life , '' former Navy intelligence agent Robert McFadden said . What 's next ? The capture . Months of intelligence research went into Abu Khatallah 's capture , Gen. Martin Dempsey , chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff , said Wednesday night . Then U.S. Special Forces slipped into Libya by sea over the weekend to nab him . With FBI agents by their sides , the Special Forces operatives headed to a villa south of Benghazi , a senior law enforcement official said . There , they set a trap and lured Abu Khatallah . He fell for it , and they delivered him by boat to the USS New York . They also confiscated some `` media '' at the villa , which investigators will scrutinize . High seas ' a good place ' Interrogators from the FBI-led High Value Detainee Interrogation Group are on board the ship . Taking Abu Khatallah by sea , rather than by air , is giving them `` maximum time to question him , '' U.S. officials said . The high seas are a good place for it to happen , McFadden said . `` It really is quite conducive to good interviews . '' `` The main thing is to get the detainee , the subject , to a safe environment with a minimum of distractions . '' First they 'll let a doctor check him over to make sure he was n't injured when he was captured . That should go quickly and easily , he said . Khatallah only wrestled with U.S. forces briefly . Not a shot was fired when they captured him . After the medical , it 's time to meet the interrogators . McFadden says they should prioritize information that improves national security , like tips that help disrupt plots . They should also get a roster of terrorist players and the lowdown on how they communicate . Logistical reasons . The sea transport is also being done for logistical reasons . The United States would have a hard time finding countries in the region willing to allow the ship to transfer a prisoner snatched in an operation such as this . The Libyan government has decried his capture as a `` kidnapping '' that violated its territorial sovereignty . Libyan Justice Minister Salah Marghani said the United States is still a friend of Libya 's , but he called for U.S. officials to loop his government in before carrying out such operations . The Libyan government asked that the United States guarantee the suspect 's safety and rights . Human Rights Watch joined that call Wednesday , asking that Abu Khatallah get access to a lawyer and appear promptly before a judge . They demanded he receive a fair trial . About that trial . Once the USS New York has neared U.S. shores , officials will put Abu Khatallah into a helicopter and fly him onto land . The Obama administration has said he will face a federal trial , a position at odds with some of the President 's Republican critics , some of them calling for Abu Khatallah to be incarcerated at the U.S. military detention facility in Guantanamo Bay , Cuba . Prosecutors have had a lot of success with terror trials in U.S. civilian courts . Aspiring Times Square bomber Faisal Shahzad , the so-called underwear bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab , radical cleric Abu Hamza al-Masri and al Qaeda propagandist Sulaiman Abu Ghaith -- all were convicted and sentenced in U.S. courts . And they are but a few examples . By contrast , there have been a mere handful of Guantanamo convictions . Abu Khatallah might tell the court the same story about why he was at the U.S. mission the day a mob attacked it , killing Ambassador Christopher Stevens and IT expert Sean Smith . `` I did n't know where the place was , '' he told CNN last year . `` When I heard , we went to examine the situation . When we withdrew and there was shooting with medium guns , and there were RPGs in the air and people panicked , we tried to control traffic . '' But U.S. investigators have collected evidence against him for two years , and the accused will be tried on three charges in federal court that include killing while attacking a federal facility and material support of terrorism . A formal indictment is around the corner , U.S. officials said , and it will include some new charges . Opinion : Why U.S. raid in Libya is a sign of hope . Opinion : Why Benghazi issue wo n't go away . Benghazi attack time line . Lawmaker : If CNN can interview Khatallah , why ca n't FBI ?
Prime suspect , Mohammed Khatallah is being held on the USS New York . Interrogators will get plenty of time to press him for fresh terrorism intelligence . Former intel official : Investigators should press him for details on plots . The high seas are a good place to get him to open up , the former official said .