{"id":1643212,"date":"2022-09-16T15:24:16","date_gmt":"2022-09-16T19:24:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1643212"},"modified":"2022-09-16T15:24:48","modified_gmt":"2022-09-16T19:24:48","slug":"9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-may-get-plea-deal-escape-death-penalty","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-may-get-plea-deal-escape-death-penalty\/","title":{"rendered":"9\/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed May Get Plea Deal, Escape Death Penalty"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2F9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-may-get-plea-deal-escape-death-penalty%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1643212&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><\/div>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just over two decades since the horrendous attacks on our homeland murdered nearly 3,000 people, the five men charged with planning the attack could get a plea deal. You read that right; perhaps the evilest men to walk the earth in recent decades may dodge the death penalty.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Hard to fathom just how that could be possible until you dive deeper into what surrounds this possibility. This news elicits some strong emotions from Americans, particularly those who lost family members 21 years ago.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Before we get into the emotions of the issue, it\u2019s best to look into where this talk of a plea deal is coming from and what it might mean for the defendants and, as President Biden likes to call it; the soul of America.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">CBS News has confirmed military prosecutors and defense attorneys are negotiating potential plea deals that could take the death penalty off the table for the five defendants accused in the 9\/11 attacks, <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBS_Herridge?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@CBS_Herridge<\/a> reports. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/DLZH0ZLxLg\">pic.twitter.com\/DLZH0ZLxLg<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Catherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CBS_Herridge\/status\/1569305688953741312?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Who And The What<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Most of us have heard of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, commonly referred to as KSM; for those who may not be aware, he is <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2019\/09\/10\/9-11-families-still-waiting-on-justice-for-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">also known as the architect of 9\/11<\/a>, even admitting to as much. However, the discussed plea deal involves not just KSM but four other defendants; Walid bin Attash, Ramzi bin Al-Shibh, Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The five men were charged in 2008 with terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder in violation of the laws of war. Their prosecution has taken place in a secretive military commissions system that was stood up post 9\/11 to handle cases surrounding terrorism and terrorists.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The men have been held at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba with <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/03\/07\/gitmo-prisoner-suspected-of-trying-to-join-9-11-hijackers-released\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">33 other prisoners<\/a>. It\u2019s important to note that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2022\/03\/16\/guantanamo-plea-sept-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">over the last 20 years<\/a>, this military commission system has only managed to convict eight prisoners successfully; six of those convictions came via plea deals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So what would a potential plea deal mean for the five men? At a minimum, it would mean escaping the death penalty and the possibility of never facing an actual jury.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">I don&#8217;t understand why Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (mastermind of the 9\/11 attacks) should be guaranteed access to the US Court System.<\/p>\n<p>For once, lets use the delays and inefficiencies of government to our advantage and allow this bum to just rot in Guantanamo Bay.<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Representative Pat Garofalo (R) (@PatGarofalo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatGarofalo\/status\/1569368071248175105?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<div id=\"subscribe\" class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Support Conservative Voices!<\/h4>\n<h5><strong>Sign up to receive the latest<\/strong> political news, insight, and commentary delivered directly to your inbox.<\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/inspector-general-report-dhs-unable-to-properly-vet-afghan-evacuees-who-posed-national-security-risk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Inspector General Report: DHS Unable to Properly Vet Afghan Evacuees Who Posed National Security Risk<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Damaging To The Soul<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So how on earth are we at a place where we are contemplating plea deals for KSM and his four compatriots? One word: torture.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Over the years, it\u2019s been revealed that while being held by the CIA in \u2018black sites,\u2019 the men held at Guantanamo Bay were subjected to various levels of torture. This makes prosecution difficult since we still believe in fair trials, even when faced with the worst men to have graced this blue marble of ours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Most of us are familiar with the concept of waterboarding thanks to these CIA \u2018black sites\u2019 having to reveal their tactics. But, if you aren\u2019t, it\u2019s the process of simulating the drowning of a subject, of which <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2022\/mar\/15\/september-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-prosecutors-plea-deal-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KSM<\/a> was subjected to a total of 183 times.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One of the other defendants, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/us-news\/2022\/mar\/15\/september-11-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-prosecutors-plea-deal-report\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Baluchi<\/a>, had his head repeatedly slammed against a plywood wall, perhaps resulting in permanent brain damage. It\u2019s not just these men whose trials have been fraught with difficulty due to issues of torture.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/20\/us\/politics\/sept-11-trial-guantanamo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Majid Khan<\/a>, a courier for Al-Qaeda that had been captured, received clemency after the military jury explained that the torture inflicted on Khan was:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c\u2026a stain on the moral fiber of America.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Khan had been sexually abused and kept nude, sleep deprived, and starved.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Thanks to the CIA\u2019s harsh interrogations of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his associates, torture has replaced the deaths of 2,976 people as the focus of the quasi-judicial proceedings at Guant\u00e1namo. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/JPP9kOh97X\">https:\/\/t.co\/JPP9kOh97X<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 The Intercept (@theintercept) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/theintercept\/status\/1171858838284374025?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 11, 2019<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/so-al-qaeda-is-back-in-afghanistan-already-biden-spox-john-kirby-faces-rapid-fire-questions\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">So\u2026 Al Qaeda Is Back In Afghanistan Already? Biden Spox John Kirby Faces Rapid Fire Questions<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Who Failed Whom?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">As per the norm, it seems we have the United States government to blame for the possibility of a plea deal for KSM and company. One of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/911-families-angry-potential-plea-deals-defendants\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">human rights attorneys<\/a> assigned to the case says as much to CBS News, stating:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe United States government failed all of us\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Just last year, retired Marine Corps Brigadier General and former Chief Defense Counsel <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/guantanamo-prison-closure\/2021\/12\/07\/e42d4c40-578f-11ec-a808-3197a22b19fa_story.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Baker<\/a> told Congress:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cAt the heart of the commission\u2019s problems is their original sin, torture. The United States chose to secretly detain and torture the men it now seeks to punish.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The fact that Khan was granted clemency gives merit to the possibility that if KSM and his partners in crime go to trial, the probability that the jury would go for the death penalty is slim. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/20\/us\/politics\/sept-11-trial-guantanamo.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Retired Navy judge Charles Stimson<\/a> supports this theory:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c\u2026the likelihood of their coming to a unanimous verdict with respect to the death penalty is close to zero.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006, the five 9\/11 defendants were held by the CIA and interrogated, which critics call torture.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;What they called &#8216;walling&#8217; may have had the longest-term physical impact,&#8221; said Alka Pradhan, a human rights lawyer on\u2026<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 BNN Newsroom (@BNNBreaking) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BNNBreaking\/status\/1569378200500989952?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/thepoliticalinsider.com\/im-an-afghanistan-combat-vet-bidens-anniversary-statement-about-the-kabul-suicide-bomb-attack-is-bs\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">I\u2019m An Afghanistan Combat Vet. Biden\u2019s Anniversary Statement About The Kabul Suicide Bomb Attack Is BS<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Third Order Effects<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The reality is if this \u2018forever trial\u2019 ends in a plea deal, there are more significant possible effects than just dodging the death penalty. A law in place <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/why-self-proclaimed-9-11-mastermind-hasnt-seen-trial-21-years-later-1741700\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">forbids the transfer<\/a> of Guantanamo Bay detainees to U.S. soil.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">So if KSM and these four men get their plea deal, more than likely, they would have to stay at Guantanamo Bay, putting quite the wrench in President Joe Biden\u2019s hopes to close the famed terrorist prison. This would suit the defendants quite nicely as they have voiced a preference to stay at GITMO.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/03\/15\/us\/politics\/gitmo-terrorism-trial.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">KSM and the other four<\/a> are allowed to pray and eat together at GITMO. This would likely be a luxury not afforded to them if transferred to a supermax prison stateside, where solitary confinement is the norm.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">If they receive their wish and get their plea deal, the taxpayers will foot the bill for their permanent residence at GITMO. It <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-11202437\/Fury-9-11-families-five-Gitmo-prisoners-accused-planning-attack-negotiate-PLEA-DEALS.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">costs the taxpayer<\/a> between $9.5 and $13 million per prisoner at Guantanamo Bay per year.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The 9\/11 terrorists at Gitmo should have been been given a military tribunal and had their death penalties carried out a long time ago<\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Jack Posobiec \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@JackPosobiec) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JackPosobiec\/status\/1569244272217538560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">September 12, 2022<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Closure or Justice?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Not all affected by 9\/11 are against the idea of a plea deal. The September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows group, which consists of about 200 9\/11 family members, is one such group amenable to the idea.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Provided the defendants aren\u2019t allowed to appeal their sentence later, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national-security\/2022\/03\/16\/guantanamo-plea-sept-11\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the group released<\/a> a statement saying that a plea deal would mean:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201c\u2026some measure of judicial finality will be achieved.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Not everyone feels the same, however. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-11202437\/Fury-9-11-families-five-Gitmo-prisoners-accused-planning-attack-negotiate-PLEA-DEALS.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sister of the pilot<\/a> of American Airlines flight 77, which was slammed into the Pentagon on September 11th, told CBS News:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cI will not have closure as long as there is any possibility for some future President to commute their sentences or trade them away for something political that they want from some other country.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Perhaps the best question posed in light of these revelations comes from Texas Republican Representative <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/gitmo-plea-deal-negotiations-could-take-death-penalty-off-the-table-in-9-11-case\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Michael McCaul<\/a>:<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cIf this case doesn\u2019t justify the death penalty, what does?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Good question.<\/span><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><strong>Now is the time to support and share the sources you trust.<\/strong><br \/>The Political Insider ranks #3 on <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.feedspot.com\/political_blogs\/\">Feedspot\u2019s<\/a> \u201c100 Best Political Blogs and Websites.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just over two decades since the horrendous attacks on our homeland murdered nearly 3,000 people, the five men charged with planning the attack could get a plea deal. You<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1643214,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1643212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1643212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1643212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1643212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1643214"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1643212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1643212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1643212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}