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.

» Published:

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

Share this article

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

Author

TTT
By TTEnglish edition by Sweden Herald, adapted for local and international readers

More news

Trump Urges Israel to Be Cautious After Qatar Attack

Trump Urges Israel to Be Cautious After Qatar Attack

Far-Right AFD Gains in German Local Elections as CDU Holds Lead

Far-Right AFD Gains in German Local Elections as CDU Holds Lead

Lula Defends Bolsonaro Verdict as Upholding Democracy, Not a Witch Hunt

Lula Defends Bolsonaro Verdict as Upholding Democracy, Not a Witch Hunt

Over 100,000 Join Pro-Palestinian Protest in Madrid, Disrupting Cycling Event

Over 100,000 Join Pro-Palestinian Protest in Madrid, Disrupting Cycling Event

Massive Ankara Protest Backs Turkish Opposition Amid Court Case

Massive Ankara Protest Backs Turkish Opposition Amid Court Case

Romania Summons Russian Ambassador Over Drone Airspace Violation

Romania Summons Russian Ambassador Over Drone Airspace Violation

Kirk Murder Suspect Tyler Robinson Not Cooperating with Authorities

Kirk Murder Suspect Tyler Robinson Not Cooperating with Authorities

Qatar Calls for Punishment of Israel After Attack in Doha

Qatar Calls for Punishment of Israel After Attack in Doha

Starmer Condemns Violence and Racism After London Protest

Starmer Condemns Violence and Racism After London Protest

Russian Fishing Vessel Rescued After Power Failure in Danish Waters

Russian Fishing Vessel Rescued After Power Failure in Danish Waters

Ukraine Linked to Russian Train Sabotage Causing Fatalities and Disruptions

Ukraine Linked to Russian Train Sabotage Causing Fatalities and Disruptions

Gaza Residents Flee Amid Escalating Conflict and Overcrowded Camps

Gaza Residents Flee Amid Escalating Conflict and Overcrowded Camps

Explosion in Madrid Leaves One Dead and 25 Injured

Explosion in Madrid Leaves One Dead and 25 Injured

Ukrainian Drones Target Major Russian Oil Refinery Near St. Petersburg

Ukrainian Drones Target Major Russian Oil Refinery Near St. Petersburg

15 Dead in Truck Crash Involving Passenger Car in Southeastern Mexico

15 Dead in Truck Crash Involving Passenger Car in Southeastern Mexico

Nepal's First Female Leader Sushila Karki Promises Six-Month Term

Nepal's First Female Leader Sushila Karki Promises Six-Month Term

Memorial Service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on September 21

Memorial Service for Charlie Kirk in Arizona on September 21

Love Motive Suspected in Charlie Kirk's Murder Investigation

Love Motive Suspected in Charlie Kirk's Murder Investigation

US Expert: Polarization No Longer Describes America's Divisions

US Expert: Polarization No Longer Describes America's Divisions

New Vaccine Offers Hope Against Chlamydia for Australia's Koalas

New Vaccine Offers Hope Against Chlamydia for Australia's Koalas