Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Four Other 9/11 Suspects Want to Confess
Wall Street Journal ^ | DECEMBER 8, 2008 | JESS BRAVIN

Posted on 12/08/2008 5:21:42 PM PST by Pontiac

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants said they wanted to confess to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror conspiracy and asked a military judge to take their guilty pleas at once.

"We don't want to waste time," Mr. Mohammed told the judge, Col. Stephen Henley. "We want to enter a plea" to capital charges stemming from the hijack attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

But defense lawyers claimed that two defendants, Ramzi Binalshibh and Mustafa al Hawsawi, were mentally incompetent to take such a serious step, and the judge deferred a decision until psychological evaluations were considered by the military commission, as the court here is called.

The move, which the defendants apparently believe would hasten an execution they consider martyrdom, raised other issues. Col. Henley said he would have to schedule a hearing sometime after this week to ensure that their pleas are knowing and voluntary. Moreover, he asked prosecutors to file briefs on an apparent ambiguity in the 2006 Military Commissions Act, which suggests that a death sentence can only be imposed if a unanimous military jury agrees. At this stage, no jury has been seated.

Said Hamilton Peterson of Bethesda, Md., whose parents were passengers on United Flight 93. "It was stunning to see today how not only do the defendants comprehend their extensive rights and how they take them for granted, they are explicitly asking the court to hurry up because they are bored with the due process they are receiving."

Jennifer Daksal, an attorney with Human Rights Watch, said the defendants may well have pleaded guilty had they been prosecuted in civilian court.

"What should be a major victory for holding the 9/11 conspirators accountable has instead been tainted by torture and unfair trial

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Cuba; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 911; 911hijackers; 911mastermind; islam; jihad; ksm; mohammedanism; mohammedanism122008; september112001; terrortrials
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last
Yes they're crazy. But that is a side effect of their religion and so it is their first amendment constitutional right to be executed.
1 posted on 12/08/2008 5:21:42 PM PST by Pontiac
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Pontiac
every bit of useful information should be extracted from them.

And then they should be hung.

2 posted on 12/08/2008 5:22:55 PM PST by the invisib1e hand (making full use of an unfair advantage in the marketplace of ideas)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac
"What should be a major victory for holding the 9/11 conspirators accountable has instead been tainted by torture and unfair trial...

Huh? How is a trial a victory? These are evil thugs, enemies of the country and of freedom. They didn't shoplift, they launched an attack on our country.

3 posted on 12/08/2008 5:27:13 PM PST by MathDoc (War is Peace. Freedom is Slavery. Ignorance is Strength. Obama is Good.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: the invisib1e hand
every bit of useful information should be extracted from them.

Most likely has been I would think 

4 posted on 12/08/2008 5:28:37 PM PST by valkyry1
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: the invisib1e hand
every bit of useful information should be extracted from them. .

I think that may be one reason that they want to be executed as soon as possible. To prevent themselves from giving up any more useful info.

5 posted on 12/08/2008 5:29:12 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac

Pleading guilty in order to hasten their implied martyrdom is one thing, confessing is something totally different and I don’t believe any of these animals have the capacity for true confession, because they don’t believe they committed any crimes; rather they acted for Allah in a jihad...or something along those lines...

In any case, whatever leads to an expedited reunion between these animals and their “god” is fine with me.


6 posted on 12/08/2008 5:29:42 PM PST by Bean Counter (Stout Hearts.....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac

What if we caught Hitler alive and he was determined to be insane... then what?


7 posted on 12/08/2008 5:32:16 PM PST by OCC
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: MathDoc
Remember for the true leftist these men are “Freedom Fighters” against the most dangerous and oppressive country to ever subjugate the common man.

These people don’t know freedom from their derriere.

They think that the Soviet Union was a workers paradise.

8 posted on 12/08/2008 5:33:04 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter
Pleading guilty in order to hasten their implied martyrdom is one thing, confessing is something totally different and I don’t believe any of these animals have the capacity for true confession, because they don’t believe they committed any crimes; rather they acted for Allah in a jihad...or something along those lines... .

I think that their confessions would more than likely be somewhat of a manifesto against the western imperialist. If they can get away with it.

9 posted on 12/08/2008 5:37:24 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: OCC
What if we caught Hitler alive and he was determined to be insane... then what? .

Actually I believe that Hitler was insane at the end of his life.

Considering all of the amphetamines and other drugs that he was taking on a daily basis just to keep himself going.

It is also almost a certainty that he was in the late stages of Parkinson’s disease which can cause paranoia.

But it is doubtful that these men could demonstrate such underlying causes for mental infirmity.

But perhaps they could plead not guilty by reason of misapplication of Religious Doctrine.

10 posted on 12/08/2008 5:43:59 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac
But defense lawyers claimed that two defendants, Ramzi Binalshibh and Mustafa al Hawsawi, were mentally incompetent to take such a serious step, and the judge deferred a decision until psychological evaluations were considered by the military commission, as the court here is called.

They have been in custody HOW long????

11 posted on 12/08/2008 5:52:12 PM PST by TheBattman (Pray for our country....)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac

This must really go against the narration that the New York Times had on these murders. How can they freely confess when they are supposed to be tortured victims of Gitmo in need of liberation by our court system.


12 posted on 12/08/2008 6:01:04 PM PST by Keflavik76 (NYT (Junk); { Wrap(Fish); Else Read( FR);})
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: valkyry1

I’m sure your right but our guys should just keep on with some “practice extracting”. helpful OJT for the new recruits and good a great time to explore new methods.


13 posted on 12/08/2008 6:11:53 PM PST by bobby.223
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: TheBattman

Hey these lawyers are getting a regular government pay check to defend these murders. Billable hours are at stake here.


14 posted on 12/08/2008 6:13:00 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 11 | View Replies]

To: Keflavik76

They are afraid of being liberated by the courts. They would not last a day in their home countries.


15 posted on 12/08/2008 6:15:23 PM PST by When do we get liberated? ((Ok, Im the official Pit Bull Defender/If you can't stand behind our troops, stand in front of them.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Bean Counter; swarthyguy

Maybe some of our more clever authorities,

have been telling the terrs Guantanamo will be closed and the prisoners awaiting trial to be transferred,

To Jordan.


16 posted on 12/08/2008 6:20:41 PM PST by Shermy ("The whole world has financed the United States, ...they have a reciprocal debt with the planet.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 6 | View Replies]

To: Keflavik76
How can they freely confess when they are supposed to be tortured victims of Gitmo in need of liberation by our court system.

Easy. The torture is not to obtain a confession. These murders are proud of their work and readily admit their guilt to killing thousands of unbelievers.

The novel interrogation techniques (torture) are used to extract useful intelligence against the al Qaeda organization.

Of course what the New Yuck Times and the rest neglect to mention is that these men are unlawful combatants and not entitled to any rights of a US citizen or the rights of a soldier under the Geneva Convention.

17 posted on 12/08/2008 6:21:40 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Pontiac

quickest execution in U.S. history — WWII. Germans land in Texas hell-bent on performing nefarious acts. They were caught, one ratted the other two out, and they were all executed within minutes of each other. Same thing should happen to these scum. Shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes, tops.


18 posted on 12/08/2008 6:31:09 PM PST by model B (attitude is a little thing that makes a big difference -- W. C.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: model B
Germans land in Texas hell-bent on performing nefarious acts. They were caught, one ratted the other two out, and they were all executed within minutes of each other.

Yes they got what they deserved but it is not strategically wise to execute captured spies/saboteurs so quickly.

Much better to extract every bit of useful intelligence information that you can.

After you are sure that you have milked every bit of info that is possible; hang them.

19 posted on 12/08/2008 6:55:06 PM PST by Pontiac (Your message here.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies]

To: All

As long as they are buried with pig carcasses, no problem. Martyr away!


20 posted on 12/08/2008 7:06:21 PM PST by DNME ("When small men cast long shadows, the sun is about to set.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first 1-2021-22 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson