Three accused terrorists – including the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks – have just reached a deal with federal prosecutors to avoid a possible death penalty… ending a years-long saga.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his alleged co-conspirators— Walid Mohammed Saleh Mubarak bin Atash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam Al-Hawsawi — have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges related to the 2001 attacks… They will not receive a lengthy death penalty trial… They will simply be sentenced to life in prison.
The men have been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2006 — first in a secret CIA prison — and face multiple charges stemming from the deaths of thousands of Americans over the years.
An official military letter announcing the deal between prosecutors and the three men reads, in part: “In exchange for eliminating the death penalty as a possible punishment, the three defendants have agreed to plead guilty to all crimes charged, including murder.” of the 2,976 people listed on the list.
One of the key issues in the case is that the alleged terrorists were tortured at various CIA facilities for years, a sticking point in their pretrial proceedings that could make their mistrial a bit confusing.
Now, prosecutors don’t even have to go that route – these guys will just spend the rest of their lives in prison.
If you’re not familiar with KSM…he’s the guy who’s long been accused of being the mastermind of that disastrous plane hijacking – he allegedly came up with the whole plot and pitched it to Osama Bin Laden …and then train terrorists.
KSM and two others are expected to submit pleas in open court as soon as next week.
