The controversial deal will spare the lives of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his henchmen
The alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and two of his accomplices have agreed to plead guilty in order to avoid the death penalty, American prosecutors revealed in a letter on Wednesday.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi “have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses, including the murder of 2,976 people,” military prosecutors wrote in the letter, which was sent to family members of the victims and published by the New York Times.
In exchange for their pleas, the three terror suspects will receive life sentences, avoiding a major trial and possible death sentences at the US Navy’s detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The Pentagon confirmed that a deal had been struck later on Wednesday, but said that the specific terms of the agreement are “not available to the public at this time.”
Mohammed is widely regarded as the mastermind of the 2001 attacks, which were the deadliest assault on the US in the nation’s history. Bin Attash is believed to have selected and trained most of the 19 hijackers who flew commercial airliners into the World Trade Center and Pentagon, while al-Hawsawi is accused of financing the hijackers’ stays in the US prior to the attacks.
All three were captured in 2003 and spent time in secret CIA prisons before ending up in Guantanamo Bay, where they have been held without trial ever since. All three were subjected to brutal torture techniques, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and sodomy, according to a 2014 US Senate report and leaked diplomatic cables.
The three suspects were initially due to stand trial in January 2021. However, this date was repeatedly pushed back, as defense lawyers argued that the use of torture rendered much of the evidence against them inadmissible in a court of law.
News of the plea deal angered organizations representing the families of the 9/11 victims, who want the suspects held for further questioning.
“While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information,” Brett Eagleson, the president of 9/11 Justice, told CNN on Wednesday. “We urge the administration to ensure that these deals do not close the door on obtaining critical information that can shed light on Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks. Our quest for justice will not waver until the full truth is revealed.”
Bin Attash and al-Hawsawi hail from prominent Saudi families, as did 15 of the 19 hijackers and former al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden, who organized the attacks. Members of 9/11 Justice have sued Saudi Arabia over its alleged complicity in the attacks, but Riyadh denies any responsibility.
