In a significant development in the long-running 9/11 case, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, and two co-defendants, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for life sentences. This plea deal, approved by a senior Pentagon official, allows the accused to avoid the death penalty.The agreement comes more than 20 years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and over 16 years since the prosecution began. According to a letter from prosecutors to the families of 9/11 victims, ‘In exchange for the elimination of the death penalty as a possible punishment, these three accused have accepted to plead guilty to all the charges, including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the indictment’.The three men, who have been held at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, since 2003, are expected to enter their pleas as early as next week. This plea deal resolves long-standing issues surrounding their detention, including concerns about the admissibility of evidence obtained through torture in CIA secret prisons.The agreement has elicited mixed reactions, particularly from families of 9/11 victims. While some have expressed a desire to see the men formally admit guilt, others still advocate for the maximum penalty. The Department of Defense has confirmed the plea agreements but has not yet released the specific terms and conditions to the public.This development marks a significant turning point in one of the most complex and prolonged terrorism cases in U.S. history, potentially bringing a measure of closure to a chapter that has spanned more than two decades.
Key points
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants have agreed to plead guilty to 9/11 conspiracy charges in exchange for life sentences.
- The plea deal, approved by a senior Pentagon official, allows the accused to avoid the death penalty.
- The agreement comes over 20 years after the 9/11 attacks and resolves issues related to evidence obtained through torture.
- The accused are expected to enter their pleas as early as next week, potentially bringing closure to a decades-long case.
Contradictions👾There is a discrepancy in reporting about where the accused will serve their sentences.
Some sources state they will remain at Guantanamo Bay, while others suggest they may be transferred to a federal prison on the U.
S.
mainland.
