The White House has firmly denied any role in the plea deal process for three individuals responsible for the September 11th terror attacks. A spokesperson for the National Security Council told Fox News Digital that the President and the White House were not involved in the negotiations, which were conducted by military prosecutors. This statement comes in response to the Department of Defense’s announcement of plea agreements reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, all of whom played pivotal roles in orchestrating the 9/11 attacks.
These agreements represent a significant step towards resolving a case that has been mired in pretrial proceedings at Guantanamo Bay for years. The lack of a trial has been attributed to concerns about the admissibility of evidence obtained through the CIA’s controversial enhanced interrogation techniques, which many have condemned as torture. While the specific terms of the agreements have not been made public, reports indicate that the suspects will be spared the death penalty, a decision that has drawn criticism from some family members of 9/11 victims.
Despite the White House’s assertion of non-involvement, President Biden had previously rejected a similar proposal last year that also sought to exempt the three suspects from the death penalty. This earlier proposal, as reported by the New York Times, included demands from the suspects for guarantees against solitary confinement, the ability to eat and pray with other prisoners, and civilian-run medical care for conditions they claimed were caused by CIA interrogations.
The families of victims have expressed their deep disappointment with the plea deals, arguing that they were deprived of the opportunity to witness a trial and hold the perpetrators accountable for their actions. Jim Smith, whose wife Moira Smith was the only female NYPD officer killed in the attacks, stated, “The prosecution and families have waited 23 years to have our day in court to put on the record what these animals did to our loved ones. They took that opportunity away from us.” He further emphasized that the suspects deserve the harshest penalty for their crimes. Similar sentiments were echoed by Daniel D’Allara, whose brother John was also an NYPD officer killed in the 9/11 attacks. He expressed disappointment with the government’s decision and stated that he had hoped for the death penalty for those responsible.
