Conspiracy Charges Against 9/11 Plot Suspects to Continue

JD Journal
January 21, 2013

On Friday, the Pentagon appointee for the Guantanamo war crimes court refused to drop conspiracy charges against five persons accused of plotting the September 11 attacks in spite of concerns expressed by the chief prosecutor that the conspiracy charges would not withstand appeals.

The decision signifies that the brain behind the hijacked plane attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four other captives, would face a charge not recognized as a war crime at the time of the 9/11 attacks. On top of the conspiracy charges, the defendants would also face murder and other charges that might lead to their execution if convicted in the tribunal set up at the Guantanamo Naval Base in Cuba.

The prosecutors wanted to remove the conspiracy charges over concerns that they could delay the case, but the Pentagon appointee, Retired Admiral Bruce MacDonald said “dismissal at this time would be premature” as an appeal on the validity of the conspiracy charges was still pending in a Washington court.

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This article was posted: Monday, January 21, 2013 at 5:35 pm

Tags: 9/11, domestic news

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