SwedenLivingWorld world_2_fill WorldBusiness BusinessSports sports-soccer SportsEntertainmentEntertain

USA: The Mastermind Behind 9/11 to Plead Guilty

The man accused of being the mastermind behind al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, has agreed to plead guilty following an agreement with the US. This is reported by the Defense Department in Washington.

» Updated: 01 August 2024, 06:22

» Published: 01 August 2024

USA: The Mastermind Behind 9/11 to Plead Guilty
Photo: Amy Sancetta/AP/TT

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to plead guilty at the military commission on the Guantanamo Bay base as soon as next week.

Officials at the Pentagon headquarters are tight-lipped about the agreement. However, according to The New York Times, which cites anonymous officials at the Pentagon, the terms include that the accused men will avoid the risk of the death penalty and instead be sentenced to life imprisonment. This is confirmed by letters from the US government sent to relatives of some of the victims.

The three men were arrested in 2003 and are being held at Guantanamo Bay. The protracted legal process has been affected by the question of whether the torture they were subjected to in the CIA's prison has affected the evidence.

The US agreement with the men comes over 16 years after the prosecution process for al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks began – and more than 20 years after terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

A fourth plane was hijacked and steered towards Washington, but it crashed in Pennsylvania after the crew and passengers tried to storm the cockpit.

The attack triggered what the then-US President George W Bush called his "war on terrorism", which led to the US military invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and many years of American operations elsewhere in the Middle East.

Tags
TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

At Least Two Dead in Russian Attack on Sumy
1 MIN READ

At Least Two Dead in Russian Attack on Sumy

Expert: Putin's robot attack a political marking
2 MIN READ

Expert: Putin's robot attack a political marking

Scattering Ashes at Machu Picchu – Security Tightened
1 MIN READ

Scattering Ashes at Machu Picchu – Security Tightened

Zelensky: Putin is testing you
1 MIN READ

Zelensky: Putin is testing you

Biden: ICC Order Scandalous
1 MIN READ

Biden: ICC Order Scandalous

Trump chooses new Justice Minister after resignation
1 MIN READ

Trump chooses new Justice Minister after resignation

Norway: Suspected spy worked at the US Embassy
1 MIN READ

Norway: Suspected spy worked at the US Embassy

Pistorius does not want to take over power from Scholz
1 MIN READ

Pistorius does not want to take over power from Scholz

40 People Killed in Attack in Pakistan
1 MIN READ

40 People Killed in Attack in Pakistan

Police Investigation: Prosecute Bolsonaro for Coup Attempt
1 MIN READ

Police Investigation: Prosecute Bolsonaro for Coup Attempt

Reports: North Korean General Injured in Ukraine
1 MIN READ

Reports: North Korean General Injured in Ukraine

Gaetz drops out after suspicions of buying sex
2 MIN READ

Gaetz drops out after suspicions of buying sex

USA imposes new sanctions on Russia
1 MIN READ

USA imposes new sanctions on Russia

Russia significantly increases defense budget
1 MIN READ

Russia significantly increases defense budget

Foreign Minister: Sweden Supports the ICC's Work
2 MIN READ

Foreign Minister: Sweden Supports the ICC's Work

Expert: ICC decision puts Germany in a difficult situation
2 MIN READ

Expert: ICC decision puts Germany in a difficult situation

ICC: Netanyahu and Gallant guilty of war crimes
3 MIN READ

ICC: Netanyahu and Gallant guilty of war crimes

Trump's choice of minister investigated for assault
2 MIN READ

Trump's choice of minister investigated for assault

Kristersson on the attack: Trying to intimidate the West
2 MIN READ

Kristersson on the attack: Trying to intimidate the West

Mette-Marit's Son Will Not Appeal Detention Order
1 MIN READ

Mette-Marit's Son Will Not Appeal Detention Order