9/11 suspect may be spared death penalty under new plea deal

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being held at Guantanamo. Credit: AP

The suspected mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and his fellow defendants will never face the death penalty under plea agreements currently pending to end their more than a decade of prosecution.

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The Pentagon and the FBI told the families of several thousand of those killed that the US government was «considering the possibility of entering into pre-trial agreements» that may include the abolition of the death penalty.

The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others who are being held at Guantanamo Bay have been troubled by repeated delays and legal wrangling, including over the torture of men while in CIA custody. No trial date has been set.

In a letter dated August 1, the families of the victims were told that while a plea agreement “has not been and probably never will be, it is possible that RTA is in this case.” eliminate the possibility of the death penalty.”

They were asked to respond to the FBI Victim Services by Monday with any comments or questions about the possibility of such a plea agreement, and prosecutors promised to take the families' views into account.

United States. The 9/11 Commission concluded that it was Mr. Mohammed who first pitched the idea of ​​attacking the United States to Osama bin Laden.

The other four defendants are said to have supported the hijackers in various ways.

The prosecution of the alleged perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks has been plagued by delays and legal wrangling. Credit: REUTERS

Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son Jimmy in the attacks, traveled to Guantanamo Bay for pre-trial hearings in 2009.

He said the update gave him «a little hope» for that the trial would be completed, but told The Associated Press that «no matter how many letters they send, until I see this, I will not believe it.»

Peter Brady, whose father was killed in result of the attack, said the government «should go through the legal process» rather than a plea deal.

Other family members — part of the 9/11 family network — said they would insist that anyone the plea agreement allowed their lawyers to question the defendants about the degree of involvement of Saudi Arabian officials in the events of 9/11.

Saudi Arabia denies the involvement of high-ranking Saudi officials.

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