Khalid Sheikh Mohammed must confess to the crime in order to receive life imprisonment instead of the death penalty. The US Department of Defense Pentagon writes in a press release that the settlement also applies to two aides, Walid bin-Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The men have been detained since 2003, and held at the notorious Guantanamo Bay prison camp since 2006.
11 September
SVT’s reporter: “I was surprised that a court in New York wants to hold the hearing here”
Source: 9/11 suspect arrested in Syria
Relatives of terror victims: Finally
Among the victims of the 9/11 attacks, opinions have diverged over what should happen to the lengthy court proceedings in the case.
– My first reaction is: Finally. It has been going on for so long. But now I’m waiting to get more information about the process going forward, says Aidan Salamone, whose father was killed in the attacks in 2001, to SVT.
Was behind the idea
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is believed to be the one who came up with the idea of hijacking airplanes and flying them into buildings. An idea he then presented to Osama bin Laden in 1996. He is said to have also helped train some of the aircraft makers.
Mohammed and al-Hawsawi were arrested in Pakistan in 2003 and were first held in secret CIA prisons before being transferred to Guatanamo in 2006. There, Mohammed was reportedly subjected to waterboarding 183 times, according to a report to the US Congress.