AFTER 20 YEARS, A DEAL SPARES LIVES OF 9/11 PLOTTERS: The word first came in a letter from military prosecutors to families of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, obtained by the New York Times.
A Pentagon statement followed confirming "pretrial agreements" had been entered before a Military Commission judge for Khalid Shaikh Mohammad , the accused mastermind behind the attacks, along with two of his accomplices, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin' Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi but provided no details.
"In exchange for the 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, and to be later sentenced by a panel of military officers," the letter to families said.
"We recognize that the status of the case in general, and this news in particular, will understandably and appropriately elicit intense emotion, and we also realize that the decision to enter into a pretrial agreement will be met with mixed reactions amongst the thousands of family members who lost loved ones. The decision to enter into a pretrial agreement after 12 years of pretrial litigation was not reached lightly; however, it is our collective, reasoned, and good-faith judgment that this resolution is the best path to finality and justice in this case," the four prosecutors wrote.
"The case had become mired in more than a decade of pretrial proceedings that focused on the question of whether their torture in secret CIA prisons had contaminated the evidence against them," New York Times reporter Carol Rosenberg , who has covered the case since 2003, wrote in a dispatch from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. "The plea averted what was envisioned as an eventual 12- to 18-month trial, or, alternatively, the possibility of the military judge throwing out confessions that were key to the government's case."
ANGER, ANGUISH, AND IN SOME CASES RELIEF: With the legal process dragging on so long, some relatives of the victims were outraged, while others who feared the plotters would simply die in prison without ever admitting guilt were angry but also relieved.
"For me personally, I wanted to see a trial," Terry Strada , the head of a group representing families of victims who died on 9/11, told the Associated Press. "They just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment."
She said, "They were cowards when they planned the attack, and they're cowards today."
"We are deeply troubled by these plea deals," said Brett Eagleson , president of 9/11 Justice . "While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information. These plea deals should not perpetuate a system of closed-door agreements, where crucial information is hidden without giving the families of the victims the chance to learn the full truth."
"I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, 'Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison," said Michael Burke , whose fire captain brother Billy died in the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower.
"To me, it's always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks or the crime. I never understood how it took so long," Burke told the Associated Press.
WHITE HOUSE: BIDEN ‘PLAYED NO ROLE’: Anticipating a backlash, a spokesperson for the National Security Council put out a brief statement last night distancing the Biden administration from the deals, which were portrayed as the legal process playing out, free from political interference
“The White House learned today that the Convening Authority for Military Commissions entered into pretrial agreements negotiated by military prosecutors with KSM and other 911 defendants,” the statement said.
“The president in the White House played no role in this process. The president has directed his team to consult as appropriate with officials in lawyers at the Department of Defense on this matter.”
As part of the plea deal, the three accused terrorists have agreed to respond to questions from family members submitted on a special website, and relatives are also invited to provide victim impact statements that will be considered by the military jury that will determine the sentence for the defendants.
Under the deal, the first sentencing hearing won’t occur until sometime next summer.
DOD ANNOUNCES PLEA AGREEMENTS WITH 9/11 MASTERMIND KHALID SHEIKH MOHAMMED AND TWO OTHERS
Good Thursday morning, and welcome to Jamie McIntyre’s Daily on Defense, written and compiled by Washington Examiner National Security Senior Writer Jamie McIntyre ( @jamiejmcintyre ) and edited by Christopher Tremoglie . Email here with tips, suggestions, calendar items, and anything else. Sign up or read current and back issues at DailyonDefense.com . If signing up doesn’t work, shoot us an email and we’ll add you to our list. And be sure to follow me on Threads and/or on X @jamiejmcintyre .
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP OR READ BACK ISSUES OF DAILY ON DEFENSE
HAPPENING TODAY: Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returns to Washington after wrapping up his trip to Japan and the Philippines, while Secretary Antony Blinken continues his travels with stops in Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, and Mongolia.
Today, Blinken is in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, where he is meeting with Foreign Minister Battsetseg Batmunkh and President Ukhnaaglin Khurelsukh .
BLINKEN ON ISRAELI STRIKES: TIME TO ’BRING THE TEMPERATURE DOWN’: The Middle East is on edge this morning after Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei , has ordered a ‘direct strike’ on Israel in response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran. “Following this bitter, tragic event which has taken place within the borders of the Islamic Republic, it is our duty to take revenge,” according to an X account that posts statements in English from the supreme leader.
Asked about the threat and the risk of escalation into a wider war, Blinken, in an interview with Channel News Asia in Singapore, said, “We’ve been focused on trying to make sure that the conflict that emerged in Gaza doesn’t spread, it doesn’t go to other places, doesn’t escalate.”
“The best way to bring the temperature down everywhere, put us on a better path, is through a ceasefire in Gaza,” Blinken said. “That will have, I think, important effects on other areas where you could see conflict — whether it’s in the north of Israel and Lebanon, whether it’s Iran, whether it’s in the Red Sea with the Houthis. So that’s why the focus on the ceasefire needs to remain.”
AYATOLLAH KHAMENEI ISSUES ORDER TO STRIKE ISRAEL DIRECTLY
NETANYAHU: 'CHALLENGING DAYS ARE BEFORE US': In a televised address to his nation last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu praised his military and intelligence services for the successful elimination of Israel's enemies and said Israel is engaged in "an existential war against a stranglehold of terrorist armies and missiles that Iran would like to tighten around our neck."
"I noted that the three main arms of this axis of evil are Hamas, the Houthis, and Hezbollah, the three H's. We have recently struck crushing blows on each one," Netanyahu said, according to an English translation of his remarks on his Facebook page. "Three weeks ago, we attacked the Hamas chief-of-staff, Muhammad Deif . Two weeks ago, we attacked the Houthis in one of the Air Force's most distant assaults, and yesterday, we attacked the Hezbollah chief-of-staff, Fuad Shukr , aka Mohsin."
Netanyahu did not say if Israel was behind the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, but this morning, the IDF confirmed Deif was killed in the July 13 attack.
"We have settled accounts with Mohsin like we will with all those who attack us. Whoever butchers our children, whoever murders our citizens, whoever attacks our state will pay the price," Netanyahu said. "Citizens of Israel, challenging days are before us. Since the attack in Beirut, we have heard threats from all sides. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will exact a very heavy price for aggression against us from whatever quarter."
ISRAEL SENDS MESSAGE TO IRAN WITH HANIYEH ASSASSINATION: ‘THEY’VE DROPPED THE GLOVES’
SPOTTED IN SKIES OVER UKRAINE: F-16s: Starting yesterday, videos of F-16s flying over Ukraine began popping up on social media.
"Ukraine has received the first F-16 fighter jets, that it has sought for months, to fight back against an onslaught of Russian missile strikes, a U.S. official confirmed," the Associated Press reported, although no official announcement was made in Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stressed the need to gain control of the skies over his country in his nightly video address but made no mention of the arrival of F-16s. "And it is also crucial to increase Ukraine's skies defense capabilities. We are doing everything for that," he said, noting the replenishment of its supply of air defense missiles was having a significant impact.
"Last night alone, almost ninety "Shahed" drones were shot down. This is a serious result," Zelensky said. "If such a significant result can be achieved in the defense against the 'Shahed' drones, it is an obvious proof that we can be stronger both in the defense against missiles and in the defense against Russian military aircraft. Everything depends on the weapons in the hands of our warriors. We need reliable air defense systems; we need sufficient range of our weapons."
The arrival of F-16s, which the U.S. announced were on the way last month, is welcome, but Zelensky says initially, there won't be enough to make a big difference.
"The problem with F-16, the answer is the number and the dates," Zelensky told Fox's Bret Baier when he was in Washington for the NATO summit. "Russia uses 300 jets on the territory of Ukraine, 300 jets. We have a decision about some 10, 20. Even if we will have 50, we will not, I mean, compare with them in the sky."
Zelensky says Ukraine needs at least 130 F-16s to gain air superiority.
THE RUNDOWN:
Washington Examiner : Ayatollah Khamenei issues order to strike Israel directly
Washington Examiner : Israeli forces confirmed it killed Hamas top military leader during airstrike
Washington Examiner : Israel sends message to Iran with Haniyeh assassination: ‘They’ve dropped the gloves’
Washington Examiner : US denies involvement in Hamas leader’s assassination
Washington Examiner : DOD announces plea agreements with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others
Washington Examiner : Mark Kelly downplays founding spy balloon company
Washington Examiner : Biden directs federal agencies to amp up war on fentanyl
Washington Examiner : Abbott’s buoy barrier in Texas and Mexico border river can stay afloat — for now
Washington Examiner : The Rock's $11M deal to boost Army recruitment may have backfired
Washington Examiner : Opinion: Robert O’Brien: Peace through strength requires a rebuilt military
Washington Post : Hamas Leader’s Killing Adds To Turmoil
Wall Street Journal : Kamala Harris’s Record Offers Only Hints of a China Worldview
Reuters : Canadian Warship Passes Through Taiwan Strait, Drawing China's Ire
Air & Space Forces Magazine : US Airstrike Preempts Drone Attack in Iraq as Iran Vows Revenge for Hamas Leader’s Death
AP : F-16s have arrived to help Ukraine fight Russia. Here’s what to know about their possible impact
The War Zone : New Russian Long-Range Drone Appears in Ukraine
Stars and Stripes : East Coast-Based Submarine Returns From Rare Pacific Deployment
Air & Space Forces Magazine : Boeing Loses $900 Million on Defense and Space Programs as Company Taps New CEO
Bloomberg : Pentagon Holding Back on Hypersonic Weapons’ Risks, GAO Says
Stars and Stripes : Marines Practice Air Defense with New Radar on Japanese Island Near Taiwan
Breaking Defense : SASC Orders Pentagon Transparency in Spectrum Dispute with Ligado
Breaking Defense : CYBERCOM’s New AI Task Force Working Under ‘Elite’ Defensive Operations Unit
Defense Scoop : Following New Authorities, CYBERCOM Says It’s Making Progress on Readiness
Military.com : Military Jobs with High Deployment Pace, Blast Exposure Correlated with Higher Suicide Rates, Data Shows
Inside Defense : Fledgling JPO Guam Defense System is 'Coalition of the Willing,' Eight-Person Shop
Air & Space Forces Magazine : New Superintendent Set to Take Command of United States Air Force Academy
The Hill : Opinion: The military must stop ignoring the Southern border
The Cipher Brief : U.S. Navy’s Ukraine Lesson: We Need More Sea Drones
The Cipher Brief : The Last Ten Yards of Hostage Negotiations
THE CALENDAR:
THURSDAY | AUGUST 1
7:45 a.m. 1700 Army Navy Dr., Arlington, Virginia — National Defense Industrial Association Senior Defense Leaders Forum, with Defense Undersecretary for Research and Engineering Heidi Shyu ; and former Deputy Defense Secretary David Norquist , NDIA president and CEO https://www.eventbrite.com/e/2024-aug-1-ndia
8:30 a.m. 1201 15th St. NW — Defense Strategies Institute DOD Energy and Power Summit, with Paul Farnan , principal deputy assistant Army secretary for installations, energy and environment https://power.dsigroup.org/register
8:45 a.m. 137 National Plaza Oxon Hill, Maryland — Defense Strategies Institute Joint Air Survivability Summit, with Arthur Huber , executive director of the Air Force Test Center https://airsurvivability.dsigroup.org
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW — Center for Strategic and International Studies discussion: "Nuclear Threats and the Role of Allies," with Acting Secretary of Defense for Space Policy Vipin Narang https://www.csis.org/events/nuclear-threats-and-role-allies
4 p.m. — Center for Strategic and International Studies media conference call briefing: "Previewing the Australia-U.S. Ministerial Consultations," with Charles Edel , CSIS Australia chair; Kathryn Paik , CSIS Australia chair; Cynthia Cook , director of the CSIS Defense-Industrial Initiatives Group; and Rory Medcalf , CSIS nonresident adjunct fellow RSVP: Sam Cestari at scestari@csis.org.
MONDAY | AUGUST 5
11 a.m. 2401 M St., NW — George Washington University Project for Media and National Security Defense Writers Group coffee-conversation with Elizabeth Allen , the undersecretary of state for public diplomacy RSVP: alaysia.mckenzie@gwu.edu
WEDNESDAY | AUGUST 7
10 a.m. 1616 Rhode Island Ave. NW— Center for Strategic and International Studies International Security Program and U.S. Naval Institute in-person and virtual Maritime Security Dialogue: “Preserving the Free Flow of Commerce in the Red Sea and Beyond: An Update from 5th Fleet Commander,” with Vice Adm. George Wikoff , commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet and Combined Maritime Forces, retired Rear Adm. Raymond Spicer , CEO and publisher, U.S. Naval Institute; and Seth Jones , CSIS senior vice president https://www.csis.org/events/preserving-free-flow-commerce-red-sea
Most Popular
Comments / 0