World
January 8, 2025 10:54
washington dc, new york, shanksville, pennsylvania - The US government has sought to invalidate the agreement reached with 3 suspects accused of planning the September 11 attacks in order to prevent a plea deal for reduced sentence.
The Biden administration has filed an appeal to invalidate the agreement made with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarek Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, who are accused of planning the September 11 terror attacks and facing the possibility of the death penalty.
The Department of Justice stated in its petition to the federal appeals court in Washington DC that if the agreement is accepted, the government would be deprived of the opportunity to have a 'public trial' and to request 'the death penalty' for these 3 individuals.
Military prosecutors had informed the families of approximately 3,000 people who lost their lives in the 9/11 attacks in the summer of 2024 that after more than two years of negotiations, they had reached an agreement with the defendants for a reduced sentence.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had attempted to cancel the agreement with the defendants, arguing that a decision on such a significant issue like the death penalty should be made solely by the department.
The Military Commission Review Court (CMCR) had deemed Austin's efforts to invalidate the agreement reached with the 3 defendants accused of planning the 9/11 terror attacks on January 2 as unlawful.
Some families of the victims claim that due to legal and logistical difficulties, ongoing pre-trial hearings for over a decade, and a stalled judicial process, the agreement is the 'best solution,' while others argue that the defendants should receive the death penalty after a legal process.
Legal experts point out that the defendants' advanced age and the legal issues arising from the claims of being 'tortured by the CIA' weaken the possibility of any punishment for the defendants.
The 9/11 attacks on September 11, 2001, saw terrorist attacks on the symbol buildings of the city, known as the Twin Towers, located on Manhattan Island in New York.
Four hijacked passenger planes took off from Newark, Boston, and Washington to San Francisco and Los Angeles. The American Airlines passenger plane bound for Los Angeles crashed into the north tower of the Twin Towers in New York at 08:46 local time.
While the north tower was engulfed in flames, another hijacked plane belonging to United Airlines crashed into the south tower on live television 17 minutes after the first attack at 09:03.
After the attacks on the Twin Towers, another hijacked plane crashed into the Pentagon building of the US Department of Defense.
The last hijacked plane, Flight 93, was shot down by F-16s in the rural town of Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
A total of 2,977 people lost their lives in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania as a result of the September 11 attacks, excluding the 19 attackers who hijacked the planes.