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OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author’s opinion.
Military prosecutors are said to be negotiating a plea deal with five defendants alleged to be involved in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
The report infuriated many on Twitter as the deal is said to include taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for guilty pleas and for the defendants as well as for the torture they allege to have been subject to, Fox News reported.
The defendants are the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed along with Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, Walid bin Attash, and Ammar al-Baluchi.
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Attorneys for the defendants reportedly say they would be willing to enter a guilty plea in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, as well as for getting treatment for alleged torture they experienced while in CIA custody.
The CIA held each of the five men for interrogation prior to their arrival in Guantanamo in 2006. Critics argue the CIA’s methods amounted to illegal torture.
James Connell, a defense attorney for al-Baluchi, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Mohammed and his co-defendants are charged with crimes including terrorism, hijacking and 2,976 counts of murder for their alleged roles planning and providing logistical support to the Sept. 11 plot.
Actor James Woods was among those who were furious with the report, that came on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
“To see this headline on September 11 is appalling,” he said in a tweet that he has since deleted. “Why is justice such an elusive concept in America today? Will the heinous among us never be held accountable? This is an outrage, and to read about it on this sacred day is an insult to the fallen.”
“This is how the Biden administration honors those who died on 9/11,” one twitter user said.
This is how the Biden administration honors those who died on 9/11… no death penalty…
F$%K THEM ALL! 🖕US prosecutors may negotiate plea deal with 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, other conspirators: Reporthttps://t.co/ASysdOrDTv
— 🇺🇸 The FJC 🇺🇸 (Same on Truth!) (@The_FJC) September 11, 2022
“The timing of this news is not a coincidence any more than the timing of the Benghazi attack was a coincidence. They’re insulting us. They’re laughing at us. This regime truly and absolutely hates America and they’re proud of that fact,” JD Rucker said.
The timing of this news is not a coincidence any more than the timing of the Benghazi attack was a coincidence.
They’re insulting us.
They’re laughing at us.
This regime truly and absolutely hates America and they’re proud of that fact. https://t.co/e7NcuCLyTI
— JD Rucker (@JDRucker) September 11, 2022
“This is appalling and (disrespectful) to those who lost their lives and to their families. He should have been executed 20 years ago,” another said.
This is appalling and direspectulf to those who lost their lives and to their families. He should have been executed 20 years ago
US prosecutors may negotiate plea deal with 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, other conspirators: Report | Fox News https://t.co/uLaGnZeHEw— American✝️🇺🇸🗽 (@evers_oak) September 12, 2022
No reporter asked President Joe Biden about the possible plea deals when he delivered a speech on Sunday where he used the anniversary of the terrorist attacks to take a veiled swipe at his political opponents.
“It’s not enough to gather and remember each September 11th those we lost more than two decades ago,” Biden said in his remarks. “Because on this day, it is not about the past, it’s about the future,” the president said, The Daily Mail reported.
“We have an obligation, a duty, a responsibility to defend, preserve and protect our democracy,” he said. “The very democracy that defends the right to freedom that those terrorists on 9/11 sought to bury in the burning fire and smoke and ash. And that takes a commitment on the part of all of us.”
“American democracy depends on the habits of the heart of we the people,” he said in the rain. “It’s not enough to stand up for democracy once a year, or every now and then – something we have to do every single day.”
“This is a day not only to remember, but a day of renewal and resolve for each and every American. And our devotion to this country – to the principles and the bodies – to our democracy – that is who we owe those remembered today,” the president said.
“That is what we owe one another. And that is what we owe future generations of Americans to come,” he said.
“’I have no doubt we will do this,” he said. “We will meet this significant responsibility. We’ll secure our democracy together – as one American, the United States of America.”
