Muhammad, the alleged conspirator of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, could have avoided the death penalty if he had pleaded guilty last Friday.
A US court has temporarily blocked alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from reaching a plea deal that would have allowed him to do so. avoid the death penaltyFollowing the Biden government’s last minute intervention. Mohammed, Al Qaeda accused of planning terrorist attacks He was forced to plead guilty last Friday before a military court at Guantanamo, the US naval base in Cuba, for the September 11, 2001 incident that killed nearly 3,000 people.
However, Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia On Thursday, he decided that couldn’t happen. The court stated that its decision is only provisional, adding that a final decision will be made after all the arguments are examined. The decision comes after months of unsuccessful attempts by the Biden Administration to block the deal.
The current US administration had initially supported the plea deal for Muhammad and the two defendants. Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-HawsaviNegotiations lasted more than two years. Three men on their terms They pleaded guilty to 2,976 murder charges in exchange for life imprisonment. They also promised to answer the questions that victims’ families still have.
One article of the agreement made with Muhammad was Prevents prosecutors from seeking the death penalty Once you plead guilty, even if the agreement is later voided. In August, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austingave up plea agreement He said his department approved it. He argues that the crimes of September 11 were so serious that the death penalty should not be ignored.
“The best path to certainty and justice”
After the Guantanamo judge and the Military Review panel rejected Austin’s intervention, the US government took the case to court. Supreme Court on Tuesday last week. Military prosecutors tell families of 9/11 victims plea deal “The best path to certainty and justice“. The torture of detainees at Guantanamo means that some statements by Mohammed and other defendants may not be usable in court.
more than that 23 years later After one of the deadliest days in American history, victims’ families are divided over the best way to move forward. Ken FairbenThe person whose only son, paramedic Keith Fairben, was killed in the attacks, wanted the agreement to continue.
“Absolutely heartbreaking.”
“It’s so frustrating. It’s absolutely heartbreaking,” he said, adding that he was speaking only for himself. But, Gordon HabermanShe wants the defendants whose daughter Andrea died in the World Trade Center to be prosecuted. “If this leads to a full trial for these men, that’s why i’m in favor of it“, in question.
HE Federal Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia He scheduled the next steps for January 22, which means that the process that started two days ago will continue under the Donald Trump Administration.
