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WHP580 Newsroom

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9/11 Defendants Make Plea Deals

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 terror attacks, along with two other suspects, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, have agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences, avoiding a death-penalty trial. The plea deals were announced on Wednesday, with sentencing set for August 5th. The three men have been held at the U.S. military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, for almost two decades.

According to NPR, the settlement agreements bring partial closure to a case that has been mired in legal gridlock for twenty years. The defendants are accused of providing training, money, and assistance to the 19 terrorists who hijacked the passenger planes on September 11, 2001.

The plea deals have been met with mixed reactions from the families of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the attacks. Some families have expressed relief at the prospect of closure, while others are disappointed that the defendants will not face the death penalty.

France 24 reports that as part of their plea bargains, the 9/11 defendants will be required to answer questions by victim family members about how and why they planned the attacks.


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