Prosecutors Compete for 9/11 Case

Rights advocates complain about treatment of terror suspects

(NEWSER) - Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-accused can expect conditions little different from Guantanamo at its harshest when they arrive in New York for trial. The terror suspects are certain to be placed under what the Justice Department calls "special administrative measures"—SAMs—requiring 23-hour-a-day lockdown, constant video surveillance, and almost no visitors. More»

New York trial represents proper US tradition, AG says

(NEWSER) - Confessed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and his four co-defendants will face the death penalty, Eric Holder confirmed today, and the AG leapt to defend the decision to try them in a civilian court in New York. They will “answer for their alleged crimes in a courthouse just blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood,” Holder said. “I fully expect to direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty against each of the alleged 9/11 conspirators.” More»

(NEWSER) - While relatives of the victims waited in the courtroom, the five Guantanamo inmates accused of conspiring in the 9/11 attacks boycotted a pretrial hearing this morning, the Miami Herald reports. The proceeding was intended to determine whether the defendants who aren't representing themselves are competent to stand trial. Alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others learned yesterday they would not be allowed to speak, defense lawyers said. More»

Officials scrambling to find out how photos landed on jihadist website

(NEWSER) - US officials are at a loss to explain how apparently recent photos of the suspected 9/11 master plotter ended up on a jihadist website . They fear the photos may have been taken and smuggled out of Guantanamo Bay. The photos show a calm, often smiling Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other detainees, reports NBC News . In one, a beatific-looking Mohammed appears to be reading the Koran. The shots seem to have been taken in the high-security Gitmo detention facility in Cuba where Mohammed is currently facing a military tribunal with four others on 9/11 murder and terrorism charges. More»

3 years later, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 4 others set for arraignment

(NEWSER) - It's been three years since President Obama paused the case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other alleged planners of the 9/11 attacks. Tomorrow, the case resumes in a military tribunal at Guantanamo after efforts to move the proceedings to a civilian court failed . Things could be a little different this time around, however: While Mohammed once said he'd welcome the death penalty, now, "I don't think anyone is going to plead guilty," says a lawyer for another defendant, Ramzi Binalshibh. More»