US reaches plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
US reaches plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
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00:00Now to the breaking headline, the accused mastermind of the 9-11 terror attack and two co-defendants have reached a plea deal.
00:05Authorities say they will now plead guilty to multiple charges, including the murder of 2,976 people,
00:12reportedly to be spared the death penalty.
00:15Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind, and the two alleged co-conspirators have been held at Guantanamo Bay for years now.
00:21ABC's Chief White House correspondent Mary Bruce with the details, just now coming in.
00:26Tonight, the accused mastermind of the 9-11 terror attacks and two other defendants striking plea deals with prosecutors
00:33that will allow them to avoid the death penalty.
00:36In addition to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Waleed bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hassawi have agreed to plead guilty.
00:43The New York Times reporting, war court prosecutors sent a letter to family members of the victims of the attacks,
00:49saying in exchange for the removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment,
00:53these three accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses,
00:58including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet.
01:04All three are currently being held in Guantanamo Bay, where they are expected to remain for the rest of their lives.
01:11The Pentagon has not released details of the deal publicly, but the trials of the 9-11 conspirators has been delayed for years.
01:18Last September, President Biden rejected a set of demands that had formed the basis of the plea negotiations.
01:24Some of the victims' families had expressed outrage when word came last year that a plea deal was in the works.
01:30Now tonight, I am told that the president and the White House played no role in this process.
01:35The president has now directed his team to consult where appropriate with officials and lawyers at the Department of Defense on this matter, David.
01:42Mary Bruce, live at the White House with the breaking news. Mary, thank you.