US President Joe Biden has rejected several proposed conditions sought by the five men accused of conspiring in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in exchange for pleading guilty and receiving a maximum punishment of life in prison, The New York Times (NYT) reported.
Conditions
The defendants, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al Qaeda militant accused of being the key architect of the attacks, were offered a plea agreement by US military prosecutors that would spare them the death penalty. In exchange, they would have to admit guilt and serve a life term in prison.
Officials told the NYT that while the offer, made in March 2022, is still open, Biden’s rejection of the additional conditions has narrowed the likelihood of sealing such a deal.
The conditions included that they would not serve their life sentences in solitary confinement and would be allowed to eat and pray with other inmates.
"Vice President Kamala Harris and Second Gentleman Douglas Emhoff will participate in a commemoration ceremony at National September 11 Memorial and Museum in New York City. First Lady Jill Biden will lay a wreath at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial to honor the lives lost."
— Ben LaBolt (@WHCommsDir) August 28, 2023
“Not Appropriate”
“The administration declines to accept the terms of the proposed joint policy principles offered by the accused in the military commissions’ case, United States v. Mohammed, et al,” prosecutors said in the filing. The decision has not yet been posted publicly on the Pentagon’s war court website.
According to officials who spoke to NYT on the condition of anonymity, the filing does not offer reasons for rejecting the conditions. But one official said that Biden did not believe the proposals would be appropriate, and another official cited the “egregious nature” of the attacks.
Worst Assault Since Pearl Harbor
“The 9/11 attacks were the single worst assault on the United States since Pearl Harbor. The president does not believe that accepting the joint policy principles as a basis for a pre-trial agreement would be appropriate in these circumstances,” Reuters reported a White House spokesperson saying in an email.
“The administration is committed to ensuring that the military commissions process is fair and delivers justice to the victims, survivors, families, and those accused of crimes,” he added.