The US Pentagon announced Monday numerous charges for six key
suspects of 9/11 terror attacks and said it is seeking the death
penalty against them.
The Bush administration will submit criminal charges against the
six men, who include alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh
Mohammed, Brig Gen. Thomas Hartman, a Pentagon legal advisor told a
press briefing.
The detainees will be charged with murder, conspiracy to commit
murder, attacking on civilians, intentionally causing serious
bodily injury, terrorism and hijacking, he said.
The 169 charges allege a "long-term highly sophisticated plan by
al-Qaida to attack the United States of America," Hartman said.
Military prosecutors will submit the charges along with a
request to seek the death penalty in the cases, and a judge will
have to approve charges and the request, according to him.
All six suspects are accused of helping plan the 9/11 attacks in
which hijackers flew two jets into the World Trade Center in New
York and another jet into the Pentagon in Washington.
Another hijacked plane crashed near Shanksville,
Pennsylvania.
Nearly 3,000 people, excluding the hijackers, were killed in the
attacks.
Also among the charged are Mohammed al-Qahtani, the so-called
20th hijacker in the 9/11 attacks; Ramzi bin al-Shibh, accused of
being an intermediary between the hijackers and al-Qaida leaders;
Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, who has been identified as Mohammed's
lieutenant; al-Baluchi's alleged assistant, Mustafa Ahmed
al-Hawsawi; and Walid bin Attash, who is accused of selecting and
training some hijackers.
If a judge approves the charges, it will mark the first time
that Guantanamo detainees have been charged in 9/11 attacks.
About 380 foreign nationals are being held at Guantanamo.
The detainees' lawyers have repeatedly complained that their
clients are being denied due process.
The US Supreme Court has expressed twice reservations about how
the government handles detainees at the US naval base.
The six Guantanamo detainees will go to trial under a system
approved by the Military Commissions Act passed by the Congress
last year.
The law provides terror suspects with a limited right to appeal
any conviction. It also reduced the jurisdiction of federal
courts.
Not much is known about how the commissions system works.
The detainees will have lawyers, and they will be allowed to see
at least some of the evidence against them.
One legal issue that could stall the trial is whether
prosecutors will be able to use confessions or other information
gleaned using controversial interrogation techniques.
(Xinhua News Agency February 12, 2008)
