9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to Plead Guilty

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices in the 9/11 attacks are expected to enter pleas at a military commission in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

WASHINGTON — In a significant development, the Defense Department announced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, has agreed to plead guilty. This decision represents a possible long-awaited resolution for one of the most impactful events in recent U.S. history.

Mohammed, along with accomplices Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, is expected to enter their pleas at the military commission as early as next week.

The defense team has proposed life sentences for these men in exchange for their guilty pleas. This proposal was disclosed to the families of the approximately 3,000 victims via letters from the federal government.

Terry Strada, leading one of the groups representing 9/11 victims’ families, expressed that many relatives have died waiting for justice. “They were cowards when they planned the attack, and they’re cowards today,” said Strada.

The Pentagon has not yet disclosed the full terms of the plea bargains.

The agreement comes over 16 years since prosecuting for the al-Qaida-led attacks began and more than 20 years after radical militants used commercial airliners as weapons, crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

Another plane intended for Washington crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to retake control from the hijackers.

The September 11 attacks triggered the U.S. military’s invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq and years of anti-terror operations across the Middle East, drastically altering global geopolitics.

At home, the attacks led to heightened militarism and nationalism in American society and culture.

Authorities have cited Mohammed as the primary architect behind the attacks, allegedly receiving approval from Osama bin Laden to use planes as missiles. U.S. forces killed bin Laden in 2011.

Captured in 2003, Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding and other forms of torture while in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo. These torture allegations have complicated U.S. efforts to prosecute the men, as evidence obtained under duress is inadmissible.

Daphne Eviatar, a director at Amnesty International USA, welcomed the news of accountability but urged the Biden administration to close the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Eviatar emphasized the need for the U.S. to ensure that practices of torture and enforced disappearances are never repeated.

Strada, chairperson of 9/11 Families United, expressed disappointment over the plea agreement. “For me personally, I wanted to see a trial, and they just took away the justice I was expecting,” she said.

Michael Burke, who lost his fire captain brother in the attacks, condemned the prolonged wait for justice. “It’s disgraceful that 23 years later, these men have not been convicted and punished,” Burke said.

Burke’s brother, Billy Burke, died in the North Tower collapse while staying behind with two men; one was a quadriplegic who couldn’t evacuate due to elevator failure, and the other was his friend.