9/11 Mastermind Reaches Plea Deal, Khalid Shaikh And Two Accomplices In US Custody For Last 20 Years. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the US, and his two accomplices are set to plead guilty at Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba.
The three were captured in 2003 and were held at secret CIA prisons where they were subjected to interrogation. They were moved to Guantanamo Bay in 2006 and were formally charged in 2008.
The 9/11 terrorist attack in New York City, at the Pentagon, and in a Pennsylvania field killed nearly 3,000 people. And 21 years later, the case is finally concluding. Prosecutors said the plea deal includes the accused persons pleading guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for life imprisonment.
What Is The Deal ?
According to the New York Times, Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi agreed to plead guilty to all charged offenses – including the murder of 2,976 people as listed in the charge sheet. Rear Adm. Aaron C. Rugh, the chief prosecutor for military commissions, signed a letter that stated that the three accused would submit their pleas in an open court next week.
The accused will also take questions from the victims’ families who have been in search of answers and solace for more than 20 years.
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Who is Khalid Shaikh?
Khalid, the mastermind of the attack, is a US-educated engineer and a jihadist. He was accused of hatching the idea to hijack the airplanes and fly them into the buildings. Khalid, 59, as per the prosecutors, presented his idea to Osama bin Laden in 1996, wherein they trained the terrorists.
The plea deal comes after years of interrogation and torture, and 183 rounds of waterboarding. Khalid has been charged with murder in violation of the law of war, attacking and killing civilians, intentionally causing bodily injury, destruction to property, and terrorism, among others.
