The families of 9/11 victims have said they were ‘deeply troubled’ after the architect of the attacks and two others reportedly agreed to plea deals after decades in US detention.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi have all agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in exchange for a life sentence.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday evening that the pleas, which will see the men dodge a death penalty trial, have been approved by Pentagon officials.
But who exactly Khalid Sheikh Mohammed? How was he involved in the 9/11 attacks? Where is he currently and what will happen to him now?
Read on below for everything you need to know about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
A photograph dated Saturday March 1 2003 shows Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attack, shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan
Who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?
Widely considered to be the architect of the 9/11 attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was born on 14 April 1965 in Pakistan.
Having joined the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist organization, aged 16, Mohammed travelled to the United States after graduating from high school in 1983.
Upon arrival, he enrolled at Chowan University in Murfreesboro, North Carolina, before transferring to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering in 1986.
Mohammed, known to the FBI as ‘KSM,’ is said to have proposed the idea for the 9/11 attacks to Osama bin Laden back in 1996.
How did the horrific events of 9/11 unfold?
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11, 2001 in New York City
People run away as the North Tower of World Trade Center collapses on September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, conspirators from al-Qaida seized control of airplanes and hit New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington.
A fourth plane was headed for Washington but crashed in Pennsylvania after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit.
It was Mohammed who presented the very idea of such an attack on the United States to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
Mohammed also received authorization from bin Laden to craft what became the September 11 attacks, the United States’ 9/11 Commission concluded.
The other defendants are alleged to have supported the hijackers in various other ways.
Officially, the casualty count associated with the attacks is numbered at 2,996 – including 2,977 victims and 19 hijackers.
Thousands more were injured, and New York bore the brunt of the death toll – with an estimated 1,600 victims in the North Tower and a further one thousand in the South.
In the aftermath of the attacks, both Mr Mohammed and Mr al-Hawsawi were captured in Pakistan in March 2003.
What has Khalid Sheikh Mohammed pleaded guilty to?
The Department of Defense says that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his fellow attackers have entered into a pre-trial agreement which will see them avoid the death penalty. Pictured: Walid Bin Attash (left) and Mustafa al-Hawsawi (right)
The Department of Defense says that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his fellow attackers have entered into a pre-trial agreement which will see them avoid the death penalty.
However, the exact terms of the agreements have not been revealed by the Department of Defense, which said that ‘the specific terms and conditions of the pretrial agreements are not available to the public at this time’.
Mohammed, Bin Attash and al-Hawasawi were accused of a number of different charges, including attacking civilians, murder in violation of the laws of war, hijacking and terrorism.
After being captured by the CIA, the three men were subjected to a number of ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’, including waterboarding, at least 183 times before the practice was banned by the US government.
This has been a key reason behind why the trial has been delayed, as attorneys argued that the interrogation techniques used amounted to torture and could have undermined the evidence against the detainees.
Two of the original five defendants were not part of the new plea deal, Ramzi bin al-Shibh was found incompetent to stand trial because of mental illness.
Al-Shibh was accused of helping to organize a cell of hijackers in Hamburg, Germany, while Ammar al-Baluchi was also not part of the plea agreement.
Al-Baluchi is the nephew of Mohammed and is charged with helping the hijackers with finances and travel arrangements.
What will happen to Khalid Sheikh Mohammed now?
An undated FBI file image shows Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, as he appeared on the FBI’s Most Wanted Terrorists website
Having agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges, the hearings could take place as early as next week.
A letter obtained by the New York Post also revealed that the sentencing hearings could be expected to take place in summer 2025.
The letter from the Office of Military Commissions (OMC) revealed that Mohammed and his co-conspirators have also agreed to respond to any questions that family members of victims have ‘regarding their roles and reasons for conducting the September 11 attacks.’
The letter adds that families will now have 45 days to submit questions to be answered by the alleged co-conspirators by the end of the year.
It also revealed that prosecutors have made plans to meet with the families in person this fall to discuss the plea agreements.
Where is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?
A photo dated October 16 2018 shows the main gate at the prison in Guantanamo at the US Guantanamo Naval Base, where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been in custody since 2006
Having been captured in 2003, Mohammed spent three-and-a-half years in secret CIA detention, before being moved to US custody – along with Bin Attash and al-Hawasawi – at Guantanamo Bay in 2006.
After news of the plea deal emerged, the White House issued a statement through a National Security Council official distancing itself from the agreement.
The statement said: ‘The President and White House played no role in this process.
‘The President has directed his team to consult as appropriate with officials and lawyers at the Department of Defense on this matter.’
