The man who has long been suspected of being the lead organizer of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, has agreed to plead guilty.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, along with Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid Bin Attash, his two accomplices, are likely to officially plead guilty to charges against them in a long-awaited settlement. The news came from the Department of Defense (DOD) on Wednesday July 31, suggesting an end to a case that has been dragged out for more than 20 years.
Mohammed, al-Hawsawi, and Attash are expected to officially enter their pleas as early as the first week of August. This would be done at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, military commission. Mohammed has been held on the island since his arrest for the attacks in Pakistan in 2003.
The guilty pleas are reportedly part of a plea deal agreed upon with federal prosecutors. Although precise details of the bargain have not been revealed, anonymous sources from the Pentagon have shared with reporters that the terms included the condition that, if the men plead guilty, they will not be subjected to the death penalty.
The update in the case comes more than 15 years after the start of the al-Qaeda prosecution and almost 23 years after the tragic attack that left more than 3,000 dead as terrorists hijacked commercial planes and crashed them into buildings.
United States prosecutors from Guantanamo told families of victims in a letter that their decision to enter a plea deal with the three men “was not reached lightly.” They added that they determined with “reasoned” thought and “good-faith judgment” that the decision is “the best path” to justice.
By pleading guilty to charges of murder and conspiracy, the three men are hoping to avoid the death penalty and instead receive a life sentence. But not everyone is satisfied with the so-called resolution to the case. 9/11 Families United Chair Terry Strada expressed that she is “very disappointed” in the settlement.
She also shared frustration and confusion regarding the timing of the decision, which she said could take away from new evidence in the families’ case against Saudi Arabia, trying to hold that country accountable for its suspected role in the terrorist attacks.
