Three of the men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US have entered into a pre-trial agreement, the Department of Defense says.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi have been held at the US Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for years without going to trial.
In exchange for the prosecution agreeing not to seek the death penalty, the trio have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses, including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet.
The attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania sparked the "War on Terror" and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
Brett Eagleson, the president of 9/11 Justice, an organisation that represents 9/11 survivors and relatives of victims, said in a statement provided to the BBC that the families are “deeply troubled by these plea deals”.
He said the process lacked transparency and urged the authorities to pursue more information on the role of Saudi Arabia in the attacks.
Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom, told the BBC’s Today Programme: "It was a gut-punch to hear that there was a plea deal today that was giving the detainees in Guantanamo Bay what they want.”
Ms Strada, the national chair of the campaign group 9/11 Families United, added: "This is a victory for Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and the other two, it's a victory for them," she said.
The 9/11 attacks were the deadliest assault on US soil since the 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, where 2,400 people were killed.
The plea deal was first announced in a letter sent by prosecutors to the families of victims, according to the BBC's US partner CBS News.
It said the plea before a military court could come as early as next week. The trio would be sentenced later by a panel of military officers.
In the letter, prosecutors said families may have the opportunity to deliver victim-impact statements during the sentencing hearing, which is expected to take place in the summer of 2025.
Prosecutors also acknowledged the deal was likely to elicit "intense emotion" and "mixed reactions" among the thousands of family members who lost someone.
"The decision to enter into a pre-trial agreement after 12 years of pre-trial litigation was not reached lightly; however, it is our collective, reasoned, and good-faith judgment that this resolution is the best path to finality and justice in this case," prosecutors wrote in the letter.
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In its announcement, the US defence department said "the specific terms and conditions of the pretrial agreements are not available to the public at this time".
The men have been accused of a litany of charges, including attacking civilians, murder in violation of the laws of war, hijacking and terrorism.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is widely considered the architect of the attack, in which hijackers seized passenger planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon outside of Washington.
A fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.
Mohammed, a US-educated engineer, was captured along with Hawsawi in Pakistan in March 2003.
Prosecutors argued that he brought his idea of hijacking and flying planes into US buildings to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden, and later helped recruit and train some of the hijackers.
He was subjected to a number of "enhanced interrogation techniques", including waterboarding - simulated drowning - at least 183 times before the practice was banned by the US government.
- In a courtroom just feet away from 9/11 suspects
The trial has been delayed for so long partly because of fears that the so-called brutal interrogation techniques which critics say amounted to torture could have undermined the evidence against the detainees.
“This is the least bad deal in the real world that would ever happen,” national security analyst Peter Bergen told CNN.
In September, the Biden administration reportedly rejected the terms of a plea deal with five men held at the US Navy base in Cuba, including Mohammed.
The men had reportedly sought a guarantee from the president that they would not be kept in solitary confinement and would have access to trauma treatment.
The White House National Security Council said that the president's office was told on Wednesday of the new deal and had played no role in negotiations.
Fifteen of the 19 plane hijackers were Saudi nationals and families are bringing a lawsuit against the kingdom, which denies any involvement.
Republicans attacked the Biden administration for striking a deal with the accused.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the move as "a revolting abdication of the government's responsibility to defend America and provide justice".
"The only thing worse than negotiating with terrorists is negotiating with them after they are in custody," he said.
FAQs
The US has reached a plea deal with three of the men behind the September 11 attacks, the Pentagon has announced. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the 2001 al Qaeda attacks, and two of his accomplices, held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, have agreed to plead guilty.
Who are the three men accused of plotting 9 11? ›
The big picture: Alleged 9/11 plot leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi were initially charged and arraigned with two others in 2008 in connection with the attack and have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
What was the plea deal for the 911 hijackers? ›
Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi that exchanged guilty pleas for sentences of at most life in prison. In taking away the authority, Mr. Austin assumed direct oversight of the case and canceled the agreement, effectively reinstating it as a death-penalty case.
What was the plea deal with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed? ›
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed agrees to plead guilty to 9/11 attacks Mohammed and two accomplices agreed to plead guilty in exchange for sentences of up to life in prison rather than face a death-penalty trial.
What is the deal involving Khalid Shaikh Mohammad? ›
According to the New York Times, the deal includes guilty pleas on conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence rather than the death penalty.
Who was blamed for 9 11 and why? ›
An Islamist extremist network called al-Qaeda planned the attacks from Afghanistan. Led by Osama Bin Laden, al-Qaeda blamed the US and its allies for conflicts in the Muslim world. Nineteen people carried out the hijackings, working in three teams of five and one of four (on the plane which crashed in Pennsylvania).
Who were the men who did 911? ›
In order:
- Mohamed Atta (American Airlines Flight 11)
- Marwan al-Shehhi (United Airlines Flight 175)
- Hani Hanjour (American Airlines Flight 77)
- Ziad Jarrah (United Airlines Flight 93)
On Friday, Austin revoked the plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two others, and relieved Susan Escallier, who oversees the Pentagon's Guantanamo war court, of her authority to enter into pre-trial agreements in the case and took on the responsibility himself.
Who negotiated the 911 plea deal? ›
Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Mike Rogers (R-AL), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, demanded answers from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin on the plea agreement reached with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11th terror attacks, and his associates Walid Muhammad Salih ...
What is the plea deal in the United States? ›
Many criminal prosecutions within the United States judicial system end with a plea bargain before reaching a full jury trial. A plea bargain prevents the overriding of cases within the courts, which in turn allows prosecutors and judges to spend their time and resources on more controversial cases.
The self-described mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, known by his initials KSM, is accepting a plea deal for life in prison. KSM was captured in Pakistan in 2003, before being held in the Guantanamo Bay Military Prison.
What did Abu Ahmed do? ›
According to secret documents, he was one of the few men bin Laden completely trusted and was said to be his "favourite courier and right-hand man". He sheltered and lived with bin Laden for years and was killed along with him by the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group on 2 May 2011.
Where did Khalid Sheikh Mohammed go to college? ›
In 1983 he moved to the United States to attend Chowan College (now Chowan University) in Murfreesboro, North Carolina. He transferred to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and he earned a degree in mechanical engineering in 1986.
What was the plea deal for 9 11? ›
The plea deal, signed on Wednesday, had Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices reportedly exchange guilty pleas for life sentences in prison. The series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks by terrorists on Sept. 11, 2001, killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, at the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.
What did Khalid do to Malik? ›
' When Khalid arrived (to Malik's land) he (Malik) rode on his horse and he was a knight equal to thousand knights, hence Khalid was scared of him, therefore he (Khalid) gave him oath, and then when (Malik) dropped his weapon, Khalid betrayed him he killed him, placed his head in a cooking pot, and married his wife the ...
Why did Khalid accept Islam? ›
Moved by the Prophet's generosity and the undeniable truth of Islam, Khalid embraced the faith, vowing to dedicate his life and sword to the cause of Allah. His decision, driven by sincere conviction, illustrates the transformative power of faith and the embrace of truth over tribal loyalty and preconceived notions.
Who ordered the ground stop on 9 11? ›
The entire airspaces of the United States and Canada were closed ("ground stop") by order of FAA National Operations Manager Ben Sliney (who was working his first day in that position) except for military, police, and medical flights.
Who was involved in 9 11 and why? ›
September 11 attacks, series of airline hijackings and suicide attacks committed in 2001 by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda against targets in the United States, the deadliest terrorist attacks on American soil in U.S. history.
Who were the survivors of 9 11? ›
The Museum continues to collect and record oral histories.
- Ester DiNardo, Family Member. ...
- Adrienne Walsh, First Responder. ...
- Robert Gray, First Responder. ...
- Frank Razzano, Survivor. ...
- Dianne DeFontes, Survivor. ...
- Bruno Dellinger, Survivor. ...
- Arturo Ressi, World Trade Center Engineer. ...
- Rita Calvo, Survivor.
