Lawyers for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks, are urging a federal appeals court to allow his guilty plea to proceed.
The plea agreement, set to be entered Friday at Guantanamo Bay, would spare Mohammed and two co-defendants from the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. The Biden administration has opposed the deal, raising questions about the U.S. government’s handling of justice for one of the deadliest attacks in American history.
Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Department of Justice for comment.
Why It Matters
The case against Mohammed, who is accused of planning the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, has been mired in legal and logistical challenges since his capture in 2003. After years of negotiations, military prosecutors and senior Pentagonofficials agreed on a plea deal this summer. It was pitched as “the best path to finality and justice” and included provisions requiring Mohammed and his co-defendants to answer lingering questions for …