9/11 suspects agree to plead guilty to all charges related to attacks

(MENAFN) In a significant development in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi have agreed to plead guilty to all charges related to the attacks, including the murder of 2,976 people. The decision to enter guilty pleas comes in exchange for life sentences, thereby averting a high-profile trial and the possibility of death penalties. This agreement was revealed in a letter from American prosecutors sent to the victims' families and published by The New York Times on Wednesday.

The Pentagon later confirmed the plea deal, though specific details of the agreement remain confidential at this time. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, often identified as the mastermind behind the 2001 attacks, is widely recognized as the chief architect of the deadliest assault on United States soil in history. Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash is believed to have been responsible for selecting and training the 19 hijackers who carried out the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi is accused of handling the financial arrangements for the hijackers' stay in the United States prior to the attacks.

All three suspects were captured in 2003 and initially held in secret CIA detention facilities before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay. They have been detained there without trial since then, having endured severe interrogation techniques, including waterboarding, sleep deprivation, and physical abuse, as documented in a 2014 U.S. Senate report and leaked diplomatic cables.

The decision to plead guilty marks a major shift in the legal proceedings surrounding the September 11 attacks, which have remained a focal point of ongoing legal and political debate.

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