9/11 defendants including Khalid Shaikh Mohammad reach plea deal

Washington — The alleged architect of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, that killed nearly 3,000 people has reached a plea deal, according to the Department of Defense, along with two of his alleged accomplices.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the man accused of masterminding the terrorist attack, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, were captured in 2003, but their cases have faced years of legal delays over whether the evidence extracted during their interrogations was admissible in court.

The Pentagon did not release details of the plea deal.

According to the New York Times , the deal includes guilty pleas on conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence rather than the death penalty.

The detainees were first held at secret CIA prisons, where they were subject to "enhanced interrogation techniques," or torture, before they were moved to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2006. The detainees were formally charged in 2008.

A National Security Council spokesperson said the White House learned of the plea deals, which were negotiated by military prosecutors, on Wednesday.

"The President and the White House played no role in this process," the spokesperson said. "The President has directed his team to consult as appropriate with officials and lawyers at the Department of Defense on this matter."

In 2023, the Pentagon advised families of 9/11 victims of a potential plea deal involving five detainees, prompting outrage from families who wanted the men to face a death-penalty trial.

On Sept. 11, 2001, two hijacked passenger planes hit the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City. A third plane struck the Pentagon in Washington. A fourth plane, heading to Washington, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers fought back.

Kristin Brown contributed reporting.