The families of some of the 2,977 innocent people killed on U.S. soil by al-Qaeda terrorists in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 are — understandably — none too pleased that the Office of Chief Prosecutor is considering pre-trial agreements with the attack's architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9/11 defendants that would take the death penalty off the table.
Now, in a letter reported by The Hill, "more than 2,000 family members of those killed in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks want President Biden to step in and stop any plea deal for the suspected architect of the plot and his fellow defendants."
That letter comes after, as Townhall reported earlier this month, that families received letters from the government notifying them of the potential pre-trial deals for 9/11 terrorists. Many families were, again understandably, not keen on the idea that such terrorists wouldn't face a public trial and be spared from the death penalty for their barbarism.
As Townhall noted, no deal has yet been reached on such pre-trial agreements, but just the possibility of it was jarring for families of the victims as well as many Americans who still have images and memories seared into their minds of that clear September morning from nearly 22 years ago.
More on the families' letter from The Hill:
“The pain is all the worse as we learn from the Department of Justice, practically on the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, in a form letter that it is proposing a deal with terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed that will prevent a public trial and will continue to keep the information provided to his legal team . . . secret and hidden not only from the 9/11 Families but from the American public,” the families write.
“You are our President and we ask that you prioritize the interests of the victims of the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks over those of [Mohammed] or other terrorists; that you not bow to the demands of any embarrassed government officials willing to sacrifice transparency,” the letter adds...
“It is our fervent hope you will once again stand up for the victims and immediately demand that your government release the evidence we have tirelessly fought for, which we believe will further reveal the role Saudi agents played in the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks,” the letter states.
It is unthinkable that terrorists responsible for attacks that stole 2,977 innocent people from their families, friends, and colleagues would have the peace of mind that they won't face capital punishment for their crimes, and it's incumbent on President Biden to do everything in his power to prevent such leniency.
In a twist of tragic irony, it was the Obama-Biden administration that made such a mess of the situation. Obama took office and suspended military trials at Guantanamo Bay, then his Attorney General Eric Holder pursued a plan to bring the terrorists to Manhattan to stand trial in criminal court as part of the administration's unfulfilled pledge to close Gitmo.
But widespread outrage met such a plan, and bipartisan opposition from was so strong that the Democrat-controlled Congress passed a law that banned any transport of Gitmo detainees to the United States. Senator Chuck Schumer, at the time, even called the Obama admin's plan to try the terrorists in New York "wrong-headed."