9/11 Masterminds Avoid Death Penalty in Plea Deals

Prosecutors have reached plea agreements with three of the chief architects of the September 11 attacks who were facing trial at Guantánamo Bay military prison, sparing them from the possibility of execution but sparking outrage among victim's relatives.

Prosecutors have agreed to plea deals with three key figures in the September 11 terror attacks, who were awaiting trial at the U.S. military's detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.

The Department of Defense (DOD) announced that the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, Susan Escallier, has entered into pretrial agreements with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi.

9/11 Masterminds Avoid Death Penalty in Plea Deals

The plea agreements will reportedly spare the terror suspects the death penalty, according to three relatives of 9/11 victims who were informed by the Office of Military Commissions (OMC). The terms and conditions of the deals have not been disclosed publicly.

The defendants are accused of providing vital support, including training and financial assistance, to the 19 terrorists who hijacked passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.

9/11 Masterminds Avoid Death Penalty in Plea Deals

The attacks claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 people, marking the worst terror attack on American soil in history.

Loved ones of the victims have expressed outrage over the plea deals, which they view as a grave injustice.

9/11 Masterminds Avoid Death Penalty in Plea Deals

Jim Smith, a retired police officer and husband of Moira Smith, the only female NYPD officer who died on 9/11, lamented, "I feel like I was kicked."

"The prosecution and families have waited 23 years to have our day in court to put on the record what these animals did to our loved ones. They took that opportunity away from us," he said. "They committed the worst crime in the history of our country, they should receive the highest penalty."

Daniel D'Allara, whose twin brother, John, was an NYPD cop killed in the attacks, echoed the sentiment: "I am very disappointed. We waited patiently for a long time. I wanted the death penalty — the government has failed us."

In September 2021, President Biden rejected a plea deal that would have excused the 9/11 co-conspirators from potentially facing the death penalty.

The conditions demanded by the prisoners included a guarantee against solitary confinement and permission to eat and pray with other prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. They also sought a civilian-run program to address mental and physical ailments they claim were caused by CIA interrogations prior to their transfer to Guantánamo Bay in 2006.

The three men, along with Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Ramzi Bin al Shibh, were initially charged jointly in 2008 and again in 2012 for their alleged roles in the attacks.

They are scheduled to be sentenced in Guantánamo Bay on August 5, 2023.