The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 stole the lives of 2,977 innocent people on U.S. soil in a series of attacks targeting icons of the United States' freedom and prosperity. Now, more than two decades later, five of the evil individuals responsible for planning the attack could be spared the most serious punishment as a result of plea deals with American officials overseeing their prosecution.
This troubling revelation came to light after a letter sent from federal law enforcement and military leaders to families of 9/11 victims with news of the potential plea agreements was obtained by The Associated Press.
"The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody," AP reported. "No trial date has been set."
The letter, according to AP, explained to families of those killed by Al Qaeda terrorists that the "Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been negotiating and is considering entering into pre-trial agreements [PTAs]." Even though no plea agreements have been "finalized," per the letter, "it is possible that a PTA in this case would remove the possibility of the death penalty."
Reportedly dated August 1, the letter was received by some victims' families as recently as this week. It sought responses "by Monday to the FBI's victim services division with any comments or questions about the possibility of such a plea agreement" granting a bit of leniency to those involved in planning and executing the attacks on 9/11, per AP.
Those who lost family members or loved ones in the attacks have grown fatigued with the drawn-out process of the case and are even less interested in seeing the perpetrators be allowed to live after having a hand in the death of their loved ones, AP explained:
Some of relatives of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terror attacks expressed outrage over the prospect of ending the case short of a verdict. The military prosecutors pledged to take their views into consideration and present them to the military authorities who would make the final decision on accepting any plea agreement...
Jim Riches, who lost his firefighter son Jimmy in 9/11, went to Guantanamo for pretrial hearings in 2009. He remains deeply frustrated that the case remains unresolved 14 years later. He said he laughed bitterly when he opened the government’s letter Monday.
“How can you have any faith in it?” Riches asked. The update “gives us a little hope,” he said, but justice still seems far off.
“No matter how many letters they send, until I see it, I won’t believe it,” said Riches, a retired deputy fire chief in New York City. He said he initially was open to the use of military tribunals but now feels that the process is failing and that the 9/11 defendants should be tried in civilian court.
The Obama administration at one point sought to do so, but the idea was shelved because of opposition from some victims’ relatives and members of Congress and city officials’ concerns about security costs. As the 22nd anniversary of the attacks approaches, “those guys are still alive. Our children are dead,” Riches said...
It’s about “holding people responsible, and they’re taking that away with this plea,” said Peter Brady, whose father was killed in the attack. He received the letter this week.
The case “needs to go through the legal process,” not be settled in a plea deal, Brady said.
According to AP's report, 9/11 hearings are set to resume on September 18, just after the 22nd anniversary of one of America's darkest days.