9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others reach plea deal in Guantánamo Bay
The United States Department of Defense has announced that plea agreements have been reached with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, all of whom are defendants in the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The terms of the plea deals have not been disclosed publicly. These agreements were negotiated by Susan Escallier, the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, and aim to avoid the death penalty in exchange for guilty pleas.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, often identified as the principal architect behind the 9/11 attacks, along with his co-defendants, will plead guilty to charges that include conspiracy, murder, and other related offenses. The plea deals will likely result in life sentences rather than the death penalty. This development circumvents the potential for a lengthy trial and the possibility that key confessions could be dismissed. The three men have been in U.S. custody since 2003, and the agreements are expected to be formally submitted in court as early as next week at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
