“Nearly a decade after the men were indicted, the military judge has not set a date for the start of the trial,” it said.
New York:
According to a media report, lawyers and federal prosecutors for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are in talks on a possible plea agreement for the Pakistani terrorist and four other co-defendants, which could reduce the chances of the death penalty for them. Is.
The New York Times report, citing people with knowledge of the discussion, said that “prosecutors have begun talks with lawyers” to negotiate a possible plea agreement for Mohamed, 58, and his four co-defendants. That would leave the possibility of execution.” The case, which has been going on for years at Guantanamo Bay, could be convicted in lieu of a life sentence and the death penalty, the report said.
“Nearly a decade after the men were indicted, the military judge has not set a date for the start of the trial,” it said.
With no deal expected anytime soon, the report said a life sentence resulting in guilty pleas could force the Joe Biden administration to “revise its ambition to end the detention campaign at Guantanamo Bay and its instead rebrand it as a military prison for some men.” During the Trump administration, such talks were unsuccessfully attempted when accused conspirators demanded that they serve their sentences in Guantanamo, where they are able to pray and eat in groups.
The report said they did not want to be sent to Colorado’s Supermax prison, where federal prisoners are held in solitary confinement for 23 hours.
“A plea deal among victims’ family members for those advocating the death penalty would undoubtedly disappoint, but other family members, including those troubled by the role of American torture and delays in the case, may see it as an appropriate conclusion. ,” it said.
The discussions began last week, after the court was closed for nearly two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the report said.
The NYT report states that as part of any plea agreement, defendants must work with prosecutors, through their attorneys, on “personal long narratives known to be a condition of fact.” , which would be a prosecution-approved admission of their offences.
The report said judges, defense and prosecutors had traveled to Guantanamo Bay for a three-week trial to address disputes over the evidence, “particularly showing the role of the FBI in the CIA prison network”. Where Mohammed and his co-defendants were. He was tortured after being caught in Pakistan in 2002 and 2003.” Clayton Trivet, a lead prosecutor in the case, wrote to the defense teams to discuss “whether pre-trial agreements are possible for all five cases.” While I can’t guarantee we’ll come to terms in these next two weeks,” Trivet said in an email, “while making a concerted effort focusing solely on potential agreements while we’re all in Guantanamo, where Your clients and teams are present, maybe at least our best chance to determine if deals can be worked out.” The report said that within a few days, five defendants and their lawyers were ready to plead guilty. met in the courtroom to compile a preliminary list of requirements, “starting with the removal of the death penalty from the case.” While prosecutors have begun negotiations, senior Pentagon officials known as the Convening Authority, Arkansas Colonel Jeffrey De Wood of the National Guard must approve any deal.
The report further noted that a key issue in this case is how many defendants other than Mohammed will serve life sentences without the possibility of parole, and whether some of the accused with lesser roles in the attacks will receive less punishment.
Lawyers for the two defendants, Saudi prisoner Mustafa al-Housawi and Pakistani national and Mohammed’s nephew Ammar al-Baluchi, have told them to be ignorant of the 9/11 conspiracy when they transferred money from the United Arab Emirates and helped some of the kidnappers with travel arrangements. Had it. ,
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