9/11 terrorists – including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed- may avoid death penalty as a result of plea deals
- The Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed that agreements without the death penalty are under consideration
- It comes eleven and a half years after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case
- The suspects behind the 2001 attacks were captured at various times and places in 2002 and 2003 and sent to Guantanamo for trial in 2006
The suspected architects behind the 9/11 terror attacks may never face the death penalty under new plea agreements being considered.
The Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed that the agreements are under consideration to try and bring an end to their more than decade-long prosecution.
The move has angered some family members of the nearly 3,000 people killed outright in the terror attacks.
The notice, made in a letter that was sent to several of the families and seen by the Associated Press read: ‘The Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been negotiating and is considering entering into pre-trial agreements’.
Although no plea agreement has been finalized ‘and may never be finalized, it is possible that a PTA in this case would remove the possibility of the death penalty.’
The decision could impact numerous cases including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is being held as the suspected architect of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania.
The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (pictured during his capture in 2003) and four others held at the notorious US prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has been blighted by repeated delays and legal disputes
The five defendants, including Ramzi Binalshibh (pictured, 2002), were captured at various times and places in 2002 and 2003 and sent to Guantanamo for trial in 2006
The 2001 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and their bereaved families are still fighting for justice. Pictured is the Tribute of Lights at the 9/11 memorial site in 2021
Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son Jimmy in 9/11 and received the letter told AP ‘How can you have any faith in it?’
‘No matter how many letters they send, until I see it, I won´t believe it,’ said Riches, a retired deputy fire chief in New York City.
He said he initially was open to the use of military tribunals but now feels that the process is failing and that the 9/11 defendants should be tried in civilian court.
The notice of a possible plea deal comes 11-and-a-half years after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case.
The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the notorious US prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba has been blighted by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody.
The five defendants were captured at various times and places in 2002 and 2003 and sent to Guantanamo for trial in 2006.
One organization formed by a network of bereaved families have responded by insisting any plea agreement allow their lawyers to question the defendants on the extent of any in 9/11.
Saudi Arabia has denied involvement by senior Saudi officials.
On September 11, 2001, conspirators from the al-Qaida militant group seized control of airplanes and hit New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington
The 9/11 hearings have been on hold while military officials examine whether one of the defendants is competent to stand trial. Pictured the 9/11 Memorial site in New York City
One organizations formed by a network of bereaved families have responded by insisting any plea agreement allow their lawyers to question the defendants on the extent of any in 9/11
The Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed that the agreements are under consideration
A courtroom drawing shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (C), and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, (L) attending a pre-trial session December 8, 2008 in Guantanamo Bay
Peter Brady, whose father was killed in the attack said it’s about ‘holding people responsible, and they’re taking that away with this plea’.
Adding that the case ‘needs to go through the legal process’ not be settled in a plea deal.
On September 11, 2001, conspirators from the al-Qaida militant group seized control of airplanes and hit New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington.
A fourth plane was headed for Washington but crashed in Pennsylvania after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit.
It was Mohammed who presented the very idea of such an attack on the United States to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, and who received authorization from bin Laden to craft what became the 9/11 attacks, the United States’ 9/11 Commission concluded.
The four other defendants are alleged to have supported the hijackers in various ways.
The 9/11 hearings have been on hold while military officials examine whether one of the defendants is competent to stand trial. Hearings are set to resume September 18 this year.
The case has played out with a changing series of defense lawyers and judges, all grappling with the legalities and logistics of the military trial. Much of the hearings have been mired in litigation over how much of the testimony should be considered inadmissible by the torture that defendants underwent in early CIA custody, including the waterboarding of Mohammed 183 times.
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