9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Agrees to Plead Guilty

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, will plead guilty following a 16-year prosecution delay. Alongside two accomplices, he aims to avoid the death penalty. This plea agreement brings some closure to a case that deeply impacted both the U.S. and the Middle East.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged to be the primary architect behind al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, is poised to plead guilty, according to the Defense Department. This development offers a long-awaited resolution to an event that profoundly reshaped the U.S. and Middle Eastern geopolitics.

Mohammed and his accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are anticipated to enter their pleas at Guantanamo Bay's military commission as early as the next week. Pentagon officials have not yet disclosed the terms of the plea deal, but The New York Times reports that it includes sparing the men from the death penalty.

The plea agreement, emerging over 16 years after their prosecution began, reflects the enduring complexity and emotional weight of the 9/11 attacks. The terror strikes on that fateful day led to nearly 3,000 deaths and catalyzed prolonged U.S. military engagements aimed at combating militant extremism.

(With inputs from agencies.)