9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others agree to plead guilty

The United States has reached a plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants, as confirmed by the US Department of Defence. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, also known as KSM, was apprehended in Pakistan in 2003 for his suspected role in the terror attacks that shook the world. In 2008, Mohammed faced numerous charges, including conspiracy, murder, attacks on civilians and objects, causing bodily harm, destruction of property, and terrorism. The US had intended to pursue the death penalty for Mohammed.

Additionally, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi have also agreed to plea deals, as reported by the Pentagon. The defendants have opted to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence instead of facing the death penalty, as reported by the New York Times.

The plea agreement avoids what would have been a long and complicated death penalty trial against Mohammed. But it’s unclear where Mohammed and his codefendants will serve out their life sentences. “This is the least bad deal in the real world that would ever happen,” said Peter Bergen, a terrorism expert and CNN national security analyst who has written extensively about Osama bin Laden.