9/11 Masterminds Dodge Death Penalty in Plea Deal Sparking Outrage from Victims’ Families and Lawmakers

Clear Facts

• Three individuals, Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, who were implicated in the planning and execution of the 9/11 attacks, have reached a plea deal with prosecutors, avoiding capital punishment.
• These individuals were accused of providing training, financial support, and other assistance to the 19 hijackers who executed the devastating attacks on 9/11, causing the death of nearly 3,000 people.
• The plea deal has sparked intense reactions from both the families of the victims and many lawmakers who have criticized the decision as a ‘disgrace’ and a ‘slap in the face’ to the families of the victims.

In a surprising development on Wednesday, three men central to the 9/11 attack planning reached a plea deal with prosecutors, thus avoiding capital punishment. Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi were standing trial in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, when the agreement was struck with the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, according to the Department of Defense (DOD).

“All three defendants are accused of providing training, financial support and other assistance to the 19 terrorists who hijacked passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on Sept. 11, 2001.”

When the news broke, families of the victims were overwhelmed with anger and disappointment.

Daniel D’Allara, whose twin brother, John, an NYPD officer, was killed in the attacks, expressed his frustration, saying, “I am very disappointed. We waited patiently for a long time. I wanted the death penalty; the government has failed us.”

Retired police officer Jim Smith, who lost his wife Moira Smith, the only female officer slain on 9/11, likened the news to a physical blow: “I feel like I was kicked in the balls,” he said. “The prosecution and families have waited for 23 years to have our day in court to put on the record what these animals did to our loved ones.”

Brett Eagleson, who lost his father, Bruce, in the attacks on the World Trade Center, described the plea deal’s news as poorly timed. “It’s just another move to wrap up 9/11 and put it in a box and make it go away,” he remarked.

Lawmakers and other public officials reacted with strong condemnation of the decision.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, called the plea deal a “disgrace,” blaming the administration outright. “Anything short of their execution is a complete and total miscarriage of justice. Time and time again, this administration shows weakness to our adversaries,” he declared.

JD Vance, Ohio Senator, shared similar sentiments about the plea deal. “We need a president who kills terrorists, not negotiates with them,” he emphasized.

Patrick Hendry, President of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, expressed his disappointment: “Their crime merits the ultimate punishment. There should be no plea deal and absolutely no leniency.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S. C., echoed these sentiments. “The three defendants have the blood of Americans on their hands.”

“Yet they were apparently allowed to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty, and potentially received a host of other conditions,” Graham criticized.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., labeled the deal as a “slap in the face” to the victims’ families. “For more than two decades, the families of those murdered by these terrorists have waited for justice. This plea deal is a slap in the face of those families. They deserved better.”

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