Three men accused of conspiring in 9/11 attacks agree to plead guilty, US News reports
The individuals accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, along with their co-defendants, have agreed to plead guilty, according to US officials.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi are expected to enter their pleas at the military commission in Guantanamo Bay as early as next week.
Prosecutors quoted by the New York Times (NYT) have stated that the three defendants have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for life imprisonment, avoiding a death penalty trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
These defendants have been in US custody since 2003.
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Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks, where suicide attackers hijacked planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon HQ, and a field in Pennsylvania.
Reports of the plea deal were communicated through a letter sent to the victims’ families and signed by Rear Adm. Aaron C. Rugh, the chief prosecutor for military commissions, and three lawyers from his team, as reported by the NYT.
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“In exchange for avoiding the death penalty as a potential punishment, these three accused individuals have agreed to plead guilty to all charges, including the murder of the 2,976 individuals listed in the charge sheet,” the letter states.
It was reported last year that Mohammed, the suspected main orchestrator of the worst terrorist attack in American history, could potentially avoid the death penalty under a new plea deal.
The families of the 9/11 victims are still awaiting justice for the 2001 attacks due to delays in prosecuting the defendants, stemming from concerns about whether their torture by the CIA had tainted the evidence against them.
While the defendants are expected to plead guilty in person at Guantanamo Bay next week, sentencing is likely to occur later next year, according to NBC News, Sky’s US partner network.
The United States’ 9/11 Commission concluded that it was Mohammed who presented the idea of the 9/11 attack to Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Terry Strada, national chairwoman of the group 9/11 Families United, was at Manhattan federal court for a hearing on one of many civil cases when news of the plea agreement emerged.
She mentioned that many families simply want to see the men admit their guilt.
“Personally, I wanted a trial,” she remarked. “And they have denied me the justice I expected – a trial and punishment.
“They were cowards when planning the attack, and they remain cowards today.”
Ms. Strada also added that dozens of relatives of the victims have passed away while waiting for the case to be resolved.
