Key 9/11 Suspect To Be Tried In New York
Source: nytimes.com
By CHARLIE SAVAGE
Published: November 13, 2009
WASHINGTON —Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, the self-described mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and four other men accused in the plot will be prosecuted in federal court in New York City, a federal law enforcement official said early on Friday.
But the Obama administration has decided to prosecute Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri — the Guantanamo detainee accused of planning the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole in Yemen — and several other detainees before a military commission, the official said.
Both decisions are expected to be announced at the Department Justice later on Friday by Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because that press conference has not yet taken place.
Mr. Obama, asked about the decision during a news conference on his week-long trip to Asia, declined to comment directly, but said that Mr. Mohammed would face justice.
“I’m absolutely convinced that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will be subject to the most exacting demands of justice,” Mr. Obama said. “The American people insist on it and my administration insists on it.”
The decision about how to try several of the most high-profile detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, marks a milestone in the administration’s efforts to close the detention facility, a policy that President Obama announced shortly after taking office but which has proven more difficult than his team anticipated.
No detainee is being moved right away. Under a law Congress enacted earlier this year, lawmakers must be given 45 days advance notice before the executive branch moves a Guantanamo detainee onto United States soil.
It was not immediately clear where the military commission trials would take place. The Bush administration spent tens of millions of dollars on a commissions courtroom at Guantanamo, but it has sat empty since the Obama administration froze legal proceedings there to undertake a review of how to handle the detainees.
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let me guess
he´s already "confessed",he´ll say "it was me, it was me" it was me who organized the planes, the training for the pilots and I single handedly placed all the explosives in all three buildings.
They have had plenty of time to brainwash this muppet and reprogram this cheesburger.Fuck he´d probably tell you he was Santa Clause if you asked him.
how many times have the water boarded this clown?
Here is all the info you´d ever want on this Turkey.
http://www.historycommons.org/entity.jsp?entity=khalid_shaikh_mohammed
the "trial" should be entertaining at least.I´ll have the popcorn ready.I fully expect Mickey mouse to appear and say he helped him.
I need a brief synopsis of what I need to know about him
Could a knowledgeable person or two refresh what I should know about this guy? The media always talks about him as the acknowledged mastermind of 9/11, and I heard one of them today say he had bragged about it even before being captured and tortured. I've read various things about him over the years, including, I seem to remember, that he was killed several times before being captured, was perhaps a double or triple agent, and so forth, but it's all become a bit foggy to me. Since we're going to hear this "mastermind" stuff ad nauseum for a while, I'd like to get up to date on him.
I looked at the link you provided, but it would be nice to read something a bit shorter, with the main emphasis of whether he did brag about "masterminding" 9/11 and how to consider that. I can easily discount whatever he has said since being in captivity, but I need some talking points about the "bragging" part.
Fred W
Maybe this could be a positive....
Let's face it, a military commissions trial would have been a non-starter, perhaps this will shed some light in additional areas including torture and exactly how the prosecution intends to prove it's case. Time to be served in NYC has got to be better than where he's been and I presume he will be placed in protective custody.
Perhaps the judge will maintain a fair trial atmosphere for this tortured soul, we can only hope. Surely we can stand by ready to petition for real justice and bring additional light to protest the conventional illusion.
At least the defense
will be able to challenge the 'confessions' in some capacity and possibly bring up torture--- something that would not have been done in a military tribunal. There's also a chance that in this public trial setting, the accused might say something interesting.
I'm interested to see what evidence will be presented to back up the 'confessions.' I suspect that old incriminating evidence against KSM from previous plots will be used to bolster his "9/11 guilt." A guilt-by-association scheme. Still an open civil trial in NY is far better than a closed military tribunal.
.
None of the evidence
extracted from KSM under torture will be admissable in a court of law, therefore the prosecutors will have a hard time finding evidence to prove anything...
"Tell us again in your own words,
Khalid, how you coordinated the Pentagon attacks with Secretary Rumsfeld and Vice President Cheney."
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/12/18/clock-stoppers/
"And once more please describe for the court the George Washington Bridge plot, who was involved and how that relates to the larger operation."
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/08/18/movers-and-shakers/
"Is it true that your moles in the FBI managed to prevent investigation of the black boxes from the WTC aircraft?"
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/08/16/black-box/
"And that these same individuals also conspired to obstruct investigation of the money transfers you used to pay your contractors?"
http://michaelfury.wordpress.com/2008/08/20/the-ghost-in-the-machines-th...
“On the altar of God, I swear eternal hostility against all forms of tyranny over the mind of man."--Thomas Jefferson
real justice
KSM appears to be the emotional stand-in for OBL. And this happening in NY is like the response to NYCCAN -- "here's what real justice for 9/11 looks like."
I remember watching a Frontline 9/11 documentary and every time they showed KSM his face was colored red. They were trying that hard to make him bad that they had to color him red.
This was an interesting in historycommons:
"The US puts out an international arrest warrant for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed (KSM). The warrant seeks KSM in connection with the 1995 Bojinka plot (see January 6, 1995). [Knight Ridder, 3/13/2003] It is not clear why the US waited so long to issue this warrant, considering that the US connected him to a major terrorist act back in 1993 (see March 20, 1993), learned he was a major figure in the Bojinka plot in 1995 (see After February 7, 1995-January 1996), secretly indicted him in January 1996, and placed a $2 million reward on his head in January 1998 (see January 8, 1998)."
I guess they were saving him for just the right time?
From the Ommission Report:
"By late 1998 or early 1999, Bin Ladin and his advisers had agreed on an idea brought to them by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) called the "planes operation." It would eventually culminate in the 9/11 attacks. . . . Within al Qaeda, they relied heavily on the ideas and enterprise of strong-willed field commanders, such as KSM, to carry out worldwide terrorist operations.
http://911research.wtc7.net/mirrors/911commission/report/911Report_Exec.htm
Fascinating.
The 1993 bombing was also very interesting:
"A few days after the attack, the FBI arrested Mohammed A. Salameh and his friend Nidal Ayyad as prime suspects. Salameh had been traced through a fragment of metal at the scene with the serial number of a Ford Econoline van belonging to a Jersey City Ryder rental agency. On March 4, 1994, a jury convicted four defendants on all 38 counts against them. On February 7, 1995, Pakistani authorities arrested Ramsi Yousef and extradited him to the United States. On January 8, 1998, Yousef was sentenced to 240 years in prison.
No forensic evidence or eyewitness testimony was produced to place any of the suspects at the scene of the crime. Salameh had reported the van stolen to Jersey City police the day before the bombing. He was unable to provide the license plate number, having left the rental documents in the van. He also reported the theft to the rental agency, and attempted to retrieve his $400 deposit. On the day of the bombing he again telephoned the rental agency and obtained the license plate number. He then filed a second report with the police, this time with the plate number. 2"
http://911research.wtc7.net/wtc/bombing93/index.html
And this:
"The New York Times reported last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, was waterboarded 183 times in one month by CIA interrogators. The "183 times" was widely circulated by news outlets throughout the world. . . . A U.S. official with knowledge of the interrogation program told FOX News that the much-cited figure represents the number of times water was poured onto Mohammed's face -- not the number of times the CIA applied the simulated-drowning technique on the terror suspect. According to a 2007 Red Cross report, he was subjected a total of "five sessions of ill-treatment." "The water was poured 183 times -- there were 183 pours," the official explained, adding that "each pour was a matter of seconds." The Times and dozens of other outlets wrote that the CIA also waterboarded senior Al Qaeda member Abu Zubaydah 83 times, but Zubayda himself, a close associate of Usama bin Laden, told the Red Cross he was waterboarded no more than 10 times."
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/28/despite-reports-khalid-sheikh...
Fascinating.
What Timing, Huh?
This announcement comes just a few short weeks after the election that DID NOT have the NYCCAN initiative attached, and in the middle of the emotional extravaganza that is the "Fort Hood" affair. Like it was made for Hollywood...
“There are two ways to be fooled. One is to believe what isn’t true; the other is to refuse to believe what is true.”~~Søren Kierkegaard (1813-1855)
`My prediction: Each of the
`My prediction:
Each of the 5 defendants will enter guilty pleas, therefore no trial, and sentencing will be swift.
Then, maybe, KSM will be hyped as the main target such that the proles forget about UBL all together.
My question to Holder:
Why not charge UBL in abstentia and also provide total justice be had by charging the apparent 19 dead hijackers in order to put all questions to rest. Oh yeah, because none of these 20 defendants would enter guilty pleas in order to avoid trial where evidence and cross examination can occur.
Makes sense
Under the usual military system, they would not have been allowed to plead guilty, I seem remember having read somewhere, so the switch may have been made to make it possible for them to plead guilty. They were trying to change the military system so that they could plead guilty, but perhaps that effort was going nowhere.
All I can say is
what a joke. Who are they trying to kid?
SUSPECT!!!!!
darkbeforedawn
SUSPECTED BY WHOM????
Totally hilarious. Gullibility has reached amazing new heights....How many will be glued to their tubes watching real justice unfold.
Who writes this stuff? Can it get any better?
written and produced ...
by the CIA, peddled by the mainstream media and dutifully consumed by the clueless and the credulous.
Very good decision by Pres Obama - to use civilian courts!
Perhaps sheik now can tell us how did they managed to pulverize 2 towers in 13 seconds, to melt steel, and where did they get nanothermite, and how was it that THEY managed to stand down the whole US Air Force defenses ??
Perhaps excellent, crucial decision by people's President Obama - after http://NycCan.org was shamefully denied a petition being placed in front of New York voters.
http://krunchd.com/911
objectives
>>Perhaps sheik now can tell us how did they managed to pulverize 2 towers
He won't have to, he's already confessed to almost everything under the sun. He'd probably confess to putting nanothermite in there if they asked him! Read the history on him. It will likely just be a torches at the gate situation with the only question being how to best reap the media rewards off the spectacle while keeping the issue of torture sidelined.
darkbeforedawn a good chance
darkbeforedawn
a good chance for publicity for the truth movement if we play it right? How about big posters in the court room asking where is "Dead or Alive Osama?" And did the sheik pull building 7?
etc/
a teachable moment!
A Teachable Moment
for the Truth Movement to put 9/11 in context for America.... both inside and outside the courtroom. No quickie confession conviction will put this to bed. We ARE CHANGE, aren't we?!
"Did the Sheik pull Building 7?" Good one, darkbeforedawn.
Just wondering
>>How about big posters in the court room
How are you planning on getting in the court room?
Or Even Near the Court Room?
If Not Me? Who? If Not Now? When?
http://www.northtexas911truth.com/
Got this in an email
How the right-wing views this:
Stop Obama From Importing Terrorists Stateside
Today Barack Obama is going to announce that the terrorist mastermind of September 11th, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be sent to New York City for a criminal trial in a civilian court.
In that trial, the terrorist will get all the rights afforded an American citizen in a criminal trial, including the right to a fair trial, the right to a taxpayer funded attorney, the right to review all the evidence against him, potentially including classified intelligence matters, the right to exclude evidence against him including, potentially, any confession obtained through enhanced interrogation techniques, etc.
At best, this will be a show trial fit not for the American Republic, but a third world kleptocratic totalitarian regime. At worse, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will gain access to classified material he can then leak to other terrorists while New York yet again becomes a target for terrorists. We have already had occasions in this country where terrorists' sympathetic lawyers have conveyed information, orders, and plans to other terrorists.
You can find more details here.
Call your Congressman and Senator right now. Tell them they should use every tool at their disposal to block this. The number to call is 202-224-3121.
Sincerely yours,
Erick Erickson
Editor, RedState.com
Huge news for the 9/11 Truth Movement.
Here's the rest of the coverage...
Fox News:
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/11/13/self-proclaimed-sept-mastermi...
Politico:
http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/1109/Five_911_suspects_to_be_tr...
Raw Story:
http://rawstory.com/news/afp/9_11_plotters_to_be_tried_just_bloc_1113200...
There is no reason to be strictly pessimistic or negative regarding these developments. We need to look at this as an opportunity. Indeed it is good news to have a trial open to the public and decided by a jury as opposed to a closed door military tribunal. We Are Change and others will have opportunities to protest outside the courthouse most likely and distribute more information. Yeah it could be another let down like the Steve Alten book promotion efforts and the NYCCAN initiative, but we can't get down and expect the worst on this. These developments are positive. I'm not getting my hopes up totally, but it is a reason to be optimistic as far as the truth goes and justice.
It's a truth vacuum out there
I just visited politico for the first time in months. It's a truth vacuum out there. I had to read 90+ reader comments to find even one from an obvious truther (plus my comment makes two). Are they censoring reader comments there or is America that dumb?
Yes! a "teachable moment", a HUGE news by President Obama.
Excellent decision by The President !! There is going to be visibility, there is going to be truth seeking every square foot around and inside the court building. There should be.
No wonder war Republicans are already whining.
Sheik might simply state - "I was tortured", "confessions were forced" - and he will walk free. To me, that is good. Send him home for time served.
And those who tortured might be called to answer questions.
And the truth of what happened, a "state secret" - the fact that 9/11 is a controlled demolition, might come dangerously close to be revealed.
This was a smarter decision by President than many might not start to understand or appreciate ....
freedom
>>Sheik might simply state - "I was tortured", "confessions were forced" - and he will walk free.
KSM will not be walking free no matter what they might have done to him. This will likely be a show trial.
Importantly, at this point, if KSM walked free just because he was tortured, that would serve as a rallying cry from the fascists on how our justice system is broken, how the jury system is broken, how military tribunals should have been used, and they would have huge support from most Americans on that last point. Average Americans believe this is the next boogie man, the spider gotten out of his cave. Bad guy.
Walking free in the middle of NYC? When he admits to being a planner? A mastermind? No amount of torture will cause him to walk free. His sentence is a done deal already.
he admited ..
well he did admit to being a planner, but under the torture conditions. That is not good enough in any court.
I really would like to know what evidence there is that he planned flying airplanes into New York buildings. Wasn't it Mohammed Atta who was the leader? What about Bin Ladin? He was called responsible too.
They all have in common a fact of resentment of US occupation of Arab lands.
.
oops
The torture won't matter
The torture won't matter when he pleads guilty. Even if he doesn't and a trial happens, it will be an info blackout and nothing will stop conviction and nothings will leak to the public or other terrorists or CIA manipulated actors.
And weren't the "perps"
peculiarly silent about their involvement in what was the most spectacular event of the century? They didn't want to connect their cause with the event? Total silence? They didn't want to declare victory before all the world, but rather wanted to distance themselves from the act, after all that planning?
Evidence, evidence, evidence...
Yes, a 'teachable moment' as some have said. But we need to realize that the Dems don't want the truth about 9/11 coming out any more than the Rethugs do. I will hope for the best from this trial, but at the same time we need to be realistic and keep certain things in mind: For instance, how will the trial judge be selected, what will his/her track record and associations be? Also, remember the legal changes whereby, in terrorism cases, prosecutors were able to eavesdrop on meetings between defendants and their lawyers (a travesty of due process and the rule of law, but which people more or less accept because they believe it's something which will only happen to 'them,' that is the 'other,' the 'bad guys'). They subsequently made an example of the blind Sheik's lawyer, Lynne Stewart, so that even the better-intentioned defense lawyers in these cases from now on will feel constricted in what they think they can say or what motions they can make.
Guilty pleas are indeed a possibility. In fact, the whole point may be to try to refurbish both the image of the U.S. and the 9/11 OCT following the damage which these had suffered in the course of the Bush/Cheney years. If confessions extracted under torture harm the image of the U.S. and perception of the OCT, then, perhaps (so they may be thinking), guilty pleas in a civilian trial are the way to remedy this damage.
Whether the subject is confessions, guilty pleas, or a carefully controlled storyline emerging from a show trial, the focus for 9/11 truth activists needs to be--evidence, evidence, evidence. Remember how, about three years ago, a family member confessed in the still-unsolved Jon Benet Ramsey murder case? The cops in Colorado didn't buy it, because it didn't square with the facts of the case as they knew them to be. The view that many people seem to have to the effect that 'confessions are always sufficient for solving a case' simply isn't the case, any more than are the silly assertions we so often hear that 'criminals can't keep a secret'. We need to help make people aware of all the things we know concerning 9/11 that do not square with what we're being told about KSM and his supposed 'masterminding' of the crimes; and that maybe the basic reason for this 'disconnect' is the fact that from the outset, this case was treated as a military rather than a criminal matter. Civilian courtroom proceedings are now being grafted onto a process which has lacked standard criminal investigative procedures from the outset. That's not acceptable. The only outcomes that will serve the cause of justice will be those based on and consistent with evidence. That, I'm thinking, is what we will need to emphasize.
Rent a Kangaroo
nausea7543
When the student is ready the teacher will come.
I hope someone rents a kangaroo and takes it for a walk around the courthouse building when the proceedings start. They can hang signs on each side of the kangaroo. One says "patsie terrorists" and then list their 5 names. The other sign says "real terrorists" and I'll let you pick the five names just look at the authors of the PNAC documents, the past executive administration and some intelligence or military higher ups. We will probably need a whole herd of kangaroo to fit all the names involved for this treasonous crime.
Take Care Matt
Finding the mastermind of 9-11
is the equivalent of finding the bandanas and passports of the alleged hijackers who are such a beloved part of the official version. The best way to play this one, imho, is to concentrate on the fairness and completeness of the trial, and the role of the trial in getting to the truth for the public benefit, and not just to prosecute the accused. Then the anti-911 aircraft batteries will not be mobilized, which will then be used to discredit even a fair trial, and muddle the issue. We know this guy did not do it, 99.9 percent sure. So this trial should be used to put the government on trial.
Do these people deserve
Do these people deserve to know how and why their loved ones were murdered? The facts speak for themselves.
Personally...
I think you NY locals have a massive opportunity now that the world's press is going to be there!
Frankly
I'm shocked these criminals haven't killed all their suspects. Dead men tell no tales. We all know the truth. This is a page right out of the show trial handbook. Let's get Rockefeller on the stand and ask him about his families support for Hitler during WWII, maybe get Bush Sr up there and ask him about Prescott's running bags of money to the Fuhrer. Maybe ask Bush Sr why he attended the after hours parties with young children during the Franklin Savings and Loan days. Watch "Conspiracy of Silence" very sick but enlightening.