US prosecutors may negotiate plea deal with 9/11 architect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, other conspirators: Report
Legal proceedings against the 9/11 conspirators have been bogged down for years
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}U.S. military prosecutors are reportedly negotiating potential plea deals with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other conspirators imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
The plea deals may allow the five dependents to escape a potential death penalty, according to CBS. Mohammed is widely credited with being the architect of the 9/11 terror attacks. The other four defendants are Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, Walid bin Attash and Ammar al-Baluchi.
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.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
POLITICAL PRISON: WHAT'S GOING ON IN GUANTANAMO BAY?
American authorities investigating the killing of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan now believe that he was slain by the hand of Mohammed. The U.S. acknowledgment of Mohammeds suspected role was first reported in the Wall Street Journal Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2003. (AP Photo) (AP)
A U.S. trooper stands in the turret of a vehicle with a machine gun, left, as a guard looks out from a tower at the detention facility of Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base in Cuba. (AP)
HUNDREDS OF RELEASED GITMO DETAINEES BACK TO KILLING AMERICANS
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}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.
The trial for the five men has been bogged down in legal challenges for years. Prosecutors attempted to advance via pre-trial hearings in late 2021, but there remains no end in sight.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Each of the defendants has been assigned a military lawyer, a civilian lawyer and a human rights lawyer. The case has come before seven different judges, with the latest being Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew McCall.
Lucas Tomlinson and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.