00:00Nearly 25 years since these images sent shockwaves across the globe, the long-running cases of
00:07the accused mastermind of the September 11 attacks and two accomplices are set to finally
00:12see a resolution.
00:14In a letter to the families of the victims of the deadliest attack on US soil, the Pentagon
00:19said in exchange for the removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment, these three
00:25accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offences.
00:29Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa Al-Husawi have been held at the
00:34Guantanamo Bay military prison since 2006.
00:38Mohammed is accused of coming up with the idea of hijacking planes and flying them into
00:43buildings as well as training and directing some of the hijackers.
00:48Pre-trial proceedings for the men had dragged on for more than a decade, with questions
00:53over whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone torture by the CIA.
00:58Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding at least 183 times before going to Guantanamo.
01:05The plea deal has both angered and relieved relatives of the victims.
01:09Some feel that only the death penalty can bring a form of justice, while others have
01:13said that prosecutors made the best of the worst possible situation.
01:17Meanwhile, several Republican lawmakers have slammed the move, including Senate Minority
01:23Leader Mitch McConnell, who said the only thing worse than negotiating with terrorists
01:27is negotiating with them after they are in custody.
01:31The accused are expected to enter the pleas at the Guantanamo Bay Military Commission
01:35as soon as next week.
01:37The detention camp was set up in 2002 to hold militants captured during the War on Terror.
01:43At its peak, it held 800 prisoners before shrinking to 30 inmates today.
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