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Dublin: 9 °C Saturday 18 May, 2013

Accused 9/11 mastermind to face trial over attacks

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed could face the death penalty along with four others if convicted.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed shortly after he was captured in Pakistan in 2003
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed shortly after he was captured in Pakistan in 2003
Image: AP/Press Association Images

THE MAN ACCUSED of planning the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in 2001 is set to stand trial at Guantanamo Bay.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has acknowledged being the “mastermind” of the terror attacks, was first charged in 2008 but proceedings were suspended as Barack Obama’s administration attempted to have them moved to a civilian court.

Pentagon officials have now given the go-ahead for a new trial, which is likely to be held at the US prison camp on Cuba.

Four others will also face charges. “If convicted, the five accused could be sentenced to death,” the US Department of Defence said in a statement.

The five are charged with terrorism, hijacking aircraft, conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, and destruction of property in violation of the law of war.

Defence lawyers and human rights groups have said the military tribunal system under which they will be tried favours the prosecution, with a hand-picked jury and judge who are all military officers.

It includes rules that prevent a public airing of the harsh treatment endured by prisoners such as Mohammed, who was subjected to water-boarding and other forms of interrogation while held by the CIA.

This BBC report explains more:


YouTube/BBCHeadlines

- Additional reporting from the AP

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Comments (39 Comments)

  • I thought that’s Ron Jeremy on the picture.

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  • Colin Farrell with a hangover to play him the movie ?

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  • he should mastermind a day in a waxing parlor

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  • Durka durka

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  • First off , bbc cannot be trusted to broadcast impartial unbiased info,
    k.s. Mohammed did not order NORAD to stand down on the day of the attacks , nor did he ” mastermind ” the removal and destruction of every single speck of forensic evidence before delaying the start of the official investigation for over 400 days, ( the investigation into pearl harbour began in 8 days) nor was Mohammed the recipient of any of the 7 billion dollar insurance payout that Silverstein got having only leased the world trade centre 6 weeks before the attack, and I hope they don’t execute him before they get him to explain how he got the hijackers to crash a plane into the ground in pennsylvania and leave a 6 mile debris field

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    • but… America have proof…

      they found passports in the wreckage.. super passports if you will, they escaped the fireball that engulfed the planes, the wreckage of the towers and landed perfectly in tack…. that… is proof beyond all doubts…… nooot

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    • It also might help shed light on the fact that the FBI admitted in court that the supposed cell phones calls from Barbara Olsen could not and didn’t happen backed up by the phone records showing 3 attempted calls lasting 0 seconds. Remember she was the only evidence for hijackers being armed with box cutters. Without this fantasy phone call we would not know about box cutters.
      Sure they were telling us it was Bin laden within a hour or two of the event. At the very least they knew it was planned and helped it happen.
      There is just no way planes would be allowed fly hijacked that long without being intercepted.

      We might also find out why Building 7 free fell even though no plane hit it and countless TV reports of police clearing the area because they were going to pull it. And even BBC reporting it had collapse before it actually had.

      We could go on forever picking holes in the laughable official conspiracy theory.

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    • Ed I can’t tell if you’re being sarcastic or not.

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    • Tin foil hat brigade are out in force….

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    • Liam you must be right because de media says so. The TV never lies. Why would the government lie and kill its own people. Sure that never happens.

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    • Ed, why on earth would they kill their own people? Do you really think any government is competent enough to mastermind some sort of mass conspiracy like this? The huge amount of people who would have to be “in” on it for it to work. You are vastly over-estimating the capabilities of any government…

      It would be in the media’s best interest to expose something like this, you wouldn’t have to sell another paper, it would be the biggest story in human history. I don’t even know why I’m responding to nonsense like this. If you genuinely believe that the US government/Illuminati/New World Order are orchestrating catastrophes like this then I suggest you and Jim Corr team up together to do something about it. Instead of clogging up news sites with your ludicrous theories.

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    • Ah so your defence against the theory is nothing but hot air and naivety. A defence based around the premise that you can’t possible believe something because you don’t want to believe it or acknowledge something so terrible could happen. As for governments killing their own people. Well for a start they sent how many to die in Iraq based on complete lies. But there are hundreds of cases of false flag terrorism. But being honest you could never believe any of that not because any evidence but based on you opinion that evil people don’t exist in government. Wakey Wakey Liam.

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    • Again Ed, if you hold your beliefs with such conviction then DO SOMETHING about it. Don’t try to convince just me, convince the world. Find conclusive evidence. Do a Woodward and Bernstein double act with Jim Corr, if they can do it why not you? You should already start a short list of names of actors who you think would be right to play you in the movie adaption and set aside a spot on the mantle for your Pulitzer.

      Sure not all the reasons for the Iraq war were noble ones but I don’t think anyone would argue that the world isn’t a better place without Sadaam Hussein in it.

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    • There’s almost 200,000 dead Iraqis that would beg to differ. But if you think Saddam was ever a threat to the west then you really are canon fodder material. You really aren’t interested in learning the truth of 911 because it disturbs your cozy fury imaginary world. They tell you the story you want to hear so you accept it blindly, because the alternative is incomprehensible. There were hundreds like you who denied their fellow Citizens were being butchered by the Nazis right up until they were made pick up the bodies. And you know what’s worse, someday you will pretend to people that you knew the truth all along , and deny you were so gullible because it will be too embarrassing.

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    • Your capacity for exaggeration is frightening. 100,000 is a more accurate figure, a deplorable figure regardless. But Sadaam killed thousands of his own people and should have been ousted years ago.

      I’ll try to ignore the Godwin’s Law reference but if there is some credible evidence I will gladly change my mind about the whole situation. I’ll accept that it was a massive plot against the Western world. What would it take for you to change your mind?

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    • @Liam
      Architects & Engineers for 9/11 Truth – CREDIBLE sources.

      More than 1 million dead Iraqi’s since 9/11
      http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/01/30/us-iraq-deaths-survey-idUSL3048857920080130

      Then there is Afganistan of course and more.
      Who profitied the most from 9/11 – …Airport Scanner manufacturers, Military contractors, weapons developers, oil companies, gold robbers (libya for example) Israel and more.

      Honestly – if you can’t accept that Building 7 was demolished then how did it come crashing down?

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    • Everything you need to know about 911 truth

      If you watch this and are not even slightly inquisitive then you are dead from the neck up.

      http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuC_4mGTs98&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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    • That video really sums it nicely Ed.
      To call anyone who questions an event of such magnitude which is absolutely riddled with holes from before the actual event to the years of “official evidence” surrounding anything to do with it loonie bat shit crazy tinfoil hat wearing idiots is really beyond logical explanation with so many contradictions and known deliberate rail-roading and govt. interference. All anyone with a brain should be left is more questions, not contentment

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    • @ Damhsa, the tin foil hat comments come out not because people are questioning aspects of 9/11, but because it is an all out accusation that seems ridiculously over the top without ever stopping to think that maybe there are 1000 reasons why certain cover ups take place, or inconsistencies show up.

      9/11 was without a doubt a MASSIVE world changing event, there hasnt been an event that huge in world history since WW2. What we are talking about here is potentially 1000s of people that messed up their jobs somewhere along the line, whether it was laxed airport security, bad building maintenance/architecture, bad policing, complete and utter epic fail in terms of intelligence, the list goes on. We’re talking stuff that goes down to something simple like the guy who was giving one of the hijackers flying lessons not thinking straight.

      Were talking stuff that people fail to do every day because tbf to people you dont expect hijackers to take over 4 planes and crash them into skyscrapers and government buildings.

      With such an event of ridiculously large porportions, you are going to have HUGE HUGE HUGE panic everywhere. from all angles. And logic tells us that there is more likely to be DISHONESTY in an event of this magnitude than honesty. Why? Because it changed the dynamics in the whole of the Western and Middle Eastern world, no one wants to be the one that said “oops that was my fault”.

      I watched that video , the usual 9/11 inside job crap , no balanced view, just firing out all these “facts” and giving any counter argument or response, so you have to simply sit there and trust whatever the presenter is saying. And if you could be bothered , go online and find explanations, or worse still, find out some of it is just BS.

      Theres nothing wrong with inquirys and questioning, but just because there was mess ups, and cover ups does not mean parts of the American Government and Big Businesses and 1000s of others orchestrated the massacre of their own people for the sake of personal profit. Sure, it definitely helped , but get real.
      OR at least present some balanced stuff.

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    • Miriam 05/04/12 #

      Adrian I suppose you believe that building 7 fell to the ground in a controlled “demolition” like way because of the plains hitting the twin towers then ?!

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    • Miriam 05/04/12 #

      To suggest that 9/11 was simply the result of major screww ups is ludicrous. It was a well planned operation which was the excuse for America and Britain entering Iraq. There have been many flase flag operations thoughout history. This was one of them.

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    • Miriam 05/04/12 #

      I meant planes btw as in air planes

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    • Yeah Adrian,

      WTC 7 was having a bad day so it decided to fall into it’s own footprint,

      The Pentagon CCTV was sick so it forgot to record some vital footage

      The molten steel in the the rubble of WTC1 & 2 decided it was too cold in NYC in September so it decided to warm things up for the winter ahead by maintaining a temperature of 1000C, that was after it previously decided to blast-cut itself at an angle similar to that of a controlled demolition. Silly steel beams, they should have known that would have looked odd.

      Oh, and the cell towers in Pennsylvania were on steroids and managed to pick up a signal from one of the jets.

      Personally I’m on the fence on 9/11, but if ever anyone wanted to make something look like a conspiracy…. This is it

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    • Guys, do something then.

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  • I wouldn’t be surprised if he admits to flying the planes as well

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  • That picture seems to be the only one in circulation of this guy, he hardly looks like a productive member of society now does he?
    It’s propaganda in one way.

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  • Eeeewwww! Hairy! Fook he looks like his mother knitted him!

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  • lies…. they don’t have a clue who did it… or… do they…
    I bet a barn dancing monkey that it was not even people of the Muslim faith…

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  • Put them on the Jeremy Kyle show, he’ll sort ‘em out !

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  • @Adrian, Going by the odds, its far saver to take the bet the Govt, had prior warning, that NORAD was told to stand down, that those flying the planes were not the few “suspects” put forward as the pilots as they were described by their own fly trainers on Cessna single engine planes as a danger and possibly incapable of driving a car let along a small plane but then days later to do some of the most difficult maneuvers with a Boeing airbus is nothing short of hilarious.
    That the inquiry which should have been a massive deal lasting many years lasted a matter of months 2 and a half years late and only due to so much demand for one from the public. That the official story had so many holes and irregularity’s that thousands of weak points were looked at and what was found was ignored by the official inquiry as it was lead by a white house brown noser.
    Bush had his scape goat within 2 hours of the attacks and was well under way of rooting out terrorist to even care to seriously investigate the actual “attacks”
    Honestly you would need maybe half a year to read and understand what was happening the months leading up to 911 and the months that followed to get a clear picture of the events and how things played out.
    To think that it everything all happened on a morning that no one was awake or doing their job such events to have happened is simply hilarious. Traffic control , NORAD, airport security, FBI, NSA all looking the other way while for 4 planes hijacked by guys not safe to fly a tiny plane could do such skilled maneuvers and fly for up to 2 hours without a peep or 1 single alert being raised is a definitely conspiracy

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  • It’s good that’s it’s gone to trial. All prisoners should get a trial. No matter what there accused of!

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  • pacahill 05/04/12 #

    He looks hungover

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  • Yeah… like a shaved grizzly bear planned 9/11. Fool me once America…

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  • I just do not ”get” the conspiracy theories ,How bad it was and people want to make it worse .

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  • He’ll be dead before it ever reaches a courtroom

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