A plea deal that allowed 9/11 terrorists to avoid the death penalty has left New York City firefighters “disgusted and disappointed.”
Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the man known as the mastermind behind 9/11, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, have been awaiting their trials at Guantánamo Bay. But on Wednesday, the Department of Defense told family members of victims that a deal had been reached with the men.
“During the July/August 2024 session of the Commission, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi entered into pre-trial agreements in this case with the Convening Authority,” the letter, signed by the chief prosecutor, Rear Adm Aaron C. Rugh, reportedly reads.
“In exchange for the removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment, these three accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses, including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet, and to be later sentenced by a panel of military officers,” it added.
(Video Credit: Fox News)
The union representing New York City firefighters clapped back at the development.
“On behalf of New York City firefighters, especially the survivors of the September 11th terrorist attack who are living with the illnesses and injuries that were inflicted upon us that day, we are disgusted and disappointed that these three terrorists were given a plea deal and allowed to escape the ultimate justice while each month three more heroes from the FDNY are dying from World Trade Center illnesses,” Andrew Ansbro, the president of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association, said in a statement on Thursday.
“We are deeply troubled by these plea deals,” said the president of the group 9/11 Justice.
“While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information,” the president of the grassroots group, Brett Eagleson, said, according to Fox News.
“These plea deals should not perpetuate a system of closed-door agreements, where crucial information is hidden without giving the families of the victims the chance to learn the full truth,” Eagleson added.
According to the Washington Post:
The alleged plotters are scheduled to enter their guilty pleas in hearings scheduled for next week or during the September and October sessions of the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, according to Rugh’s letter.
The plea negotiations had been underway for over two years, the letter states. The three men also agreed “to a process to respond to questions submitted” by family members of victims “regarding their roles and reasons for conducting the September 11 attacks,” it adds. Family members may be able to testify during sentencing hearings, which will start in summer 2025 at the earliest, according to the letter.
”I feel like I was kicked in the balls,” retired NYPD officer Jim Smith told the New York Post.
“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,” said Smith, whose wife, Moira Smith, was the only female police officer to be killed on 9/11.
He said the U.S. government “took that opportunity away from us,” adding that the terrorists “committed the worst crime in the history of our country. They should receive the highest penalty.”
Lawmakers and others slammed the move as well, calling out the Biden administration directly.
“Something is deeply wrong with our justice system,” X owner Elon Musk posted.
“WTF!?? Kamala & Biden used the DOJ to target my dad, while cutting sweetheart plea deals with the terrorists behind 9/11,” Donald Trump Jr. posted.
“Any plea deal with the terrorists responsible for killing thousands of Americans, including so many of my constituents, is unacceptable,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis wrote.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has done the unthinkable: they’ve agreed to a plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11th attacks, and two of his accomplices,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a post on X. “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 from the Biden-Harris Administration.”
The Biden-Harris Administration’s cowardice in the face of terror is a national disgrace. The plea deal with terrorists, including those behind the 9/11 attacks, is a revolting abdication of the government’s responsibility to defend America and provide justice.
Full statement:…
— Leader McConnell (@LeaderMcConnell) July 31, 2024
“Just today, I heard that the Biden-Harris Department of Justice cut a deal with al Qaeda terrorist Khalid Sheik Mohammed to avoid the death penalty. As someone who enlisted in the Marines to serve after 9/11, that is ridiculous, but it’s not surprising,” JD Vance
NEVER FORGET! pic.twitter.com/c8a0y8ORUy— pat (@patgill69033215) August 1, 2024
Weird how J6ers who peacefully waved a flag in a public building during business hours don’t get plea deals, but the mastermind of 9/11 who murdered 3,000 people gets a plea deal. https://t.co/xKlbKumdwO
— Sean Davis (@seanmdav) July 31, 2024
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Originally from New York, Powers graduated from New York University and eventually made her way to sunny South Florida. Powers also contributes to BizPac Review.
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