Accused 9/11 Plotters Reach Plea Deal

On Wednesday evening, the Pentagon announced that three men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks had reached plea agreements.

Key Details: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi have agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy and murder charges to escape the death penalty. According to a U.S. State Department statement, the "specific terms and conditions of the pretrial agreements" are not yet publicly available. The families of 9/11 victims had been seeking the death penalty, but a trial has become increasingly unlikely, and plea bargains are now being viewed as a way to resolve the case.

Key Quotes: “In exchange for removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment, these three Accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses, including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet,” said the chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions. Danial D'Allara, twin brother of a NYPD cop killed on 9/11, said “I am very disappointed. We waited patiently for a long time. I wanted the death penalty — the government has failed us.”

How the Media Covered it: NPR (Lean Left bias) noted that the case has been bogged down due to reported CIA torture of the defendants, leading to arguments over whether evidence obtained under those conditions is admissible in court. The New York Post (Lean Right bias) focused on the victims' families, many of whom felt that the death penalty was the only appropriate punishment for the defendants.