New Photo of 9/11 Mastermind Used to Spur Jihad

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»

Court filing describes attacks as holy offering

(NEWSER) - Five Guantanamo prisoners have taken full responsibility for planning 9/11 and say they're proud of the attacks, the New York Times reports. A document filed with a military commission by the five men, which may be made public today, describes the attacks as a model of Islamic action and the accusations against them as "a badge of honor." More»

Challenges to security, secrecy would be 'overwhelming'

(NEWSER) - The Obama administration wants to try alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other Guantanamo detainees in federal courts—and that's a major mistake, says Michael Mukasey. Terrorism trials pose "overwhelming" security challenges, and classified information would have to be revealed, warns George Bush's relatively moderate third attorney general in a Wall Street Journal op ed. "The Justice Department claims that our courts are well suited to the task," he writes. "Based on my experience, they aren't." More»

Driver was key member of organization: prosecutor

(NEWSER) - Arguments in the trial of Salim Hamdan gave a view of al-Qaeda's inner circle today, as prosecutors opened by painting Osama bin Laden's driver as a key member of the organization, the Miami Herald reports. The lead prosecutor depicted Hamdan as a constant presence in high-level al-Qaeda operations and argued that he knew the destination of the fourth plane hijacked on 9/11. More»