--- title: "The 9/11 ‘masterminds’ are taking plea deals, Pentagon says" description: "The Pentagon said it reached a plea agreement with three men long accused to be the masterminds behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks." date: "2024-07-31" modified: "2024-07-31" authors: - name: "Patty Nieberg" job_title: "Senior Reporter" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/patty-nieberg/" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/three-9-11-masterminds-plea-deals/" categories: - "Around the World" - "Middle East" - "News" - "United States" --- # The 9/11 ‘masterminds’ are taking plea deals, Pentagon says ![394261 14: A fiery blasts rocks the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)]() *A fiery blasts rocks the World Trade Center after being hit by two planes September 11, 2001 in New York City. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Spencer Platt* The Pentagon reached a plea agreement with three men long accused to be the masterminds behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, officials announced Wednesday, that appears likely to keep them in prison for life but ends efforts to impose the death penalty on them. The senior military[ Convening Authority]() for the U.S. Military Commissions at Guantanamo Bay entered into pretrial agreements with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, the Pentagon announced Wednesday. Officials did not give more details on the specific terms and conditions of the agreements, but the New York Times reported that a letter sent to 9/11 families had outlined the deal. The three men would, the Times said, escape a death penalty trial in return for their pleas. The announcement comes after the three men, who are alleged to be behind the financing and planning of the 9/11 attacks, have sat in the American military’s makeshift prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for more than two decades. The idea of offering plea agreements for the perpetrators of the worst terrorist attack on American soil began in 2022 under [Col. Jeffrey D. Wood](), the previous judge appointed to oversee the military commissions during the Trump Administration. In August 2023, a group of [Republican New York lawmakers demanded that President Joe Biden abandon a potential plea]() deal that would spare the arbiters of the 9/11 attacks the death penalty, calling it “a grave miscarriage of justice.” Meanwhile, the families of 9/11 victims have separately filed a [lawsuit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia](), looking to get some semblance of justice while the military commission process enters its 23rd year. [**Subscribe to Task & Purpose**]() **today. Get the latest military news and culture in your inbox daily.** Since the prison was opened in 2002, Democratic and Republican administrations have [pledged to close the facilities without any success](). Human rights groups have long demanded that the prison be shut over allegations of torture, Islamaphobic leadership and a lack of official charges. More than 800 people have been held at the prison since its inauguration but now only 30 men remain – [many of whom have not been officially charged]() by the U.S. with a crime. It’s unclear what the pretrial agreements will mean for the remaining detainees. The three men were initially charged along with Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Ramzi Bin al Shibh and arraigned on June 5, 2008. The same group was charged jointly and arraigned a second time on May 5, 2012, in connection with their alleged roles in the September 11, 2001. ## The latest on Task & Purpose - **Marine recruit arrives at boot camp with** [**glorious mop top**]() - **Navy** [**sinks USS Tarawa**]() **in latest Pacific SINKEX** - **A USS Eisenhower pilot became the** [**first American woman**]() **to score air-to-air kill** - [**Special Forces**]() **Assessment and Selection: Everything You Need To Know** - **NORAD sent 3 different fighters to** [**intercept**]() **Russian and Chinese bombers** ## Author Patty is a senior reporter for Task & Purpose. She's reported on the military for six years, embedding with the National Guard during a hurricane and covering Guantanamo Bay legal proceedings for an alleged al Qaeda commander. Her previous bylines can be found at the *Associated Press*, *Bloomberg Government*, *Washington Post*, *The New York Times*, and *ABC*. You can reach Patty by email at [Patty.Nieberg@taskandpurpose.com](). ### Author social links [Twitter]() [LinkedIn]()