Khalid Shaikh Mohammed Agrees to Use Confessions in Possible Plea Deal

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, who is accused of orchestrating the September 11 attacks, has made an agreement that would allow government prosecutors to reference certain sections of a confession from 2007 in future sentencing trials. This decision comes with the condition that he would accept a plea deal resulting in a life sentence.

Mohammed's defense team has spent years attempting to prevent these confessions from being introduced in the case against him and three co-defendants linked to the attacks. They have asserted that his statements were influenced by the harsh treatment he faced within a clandestine C.I.A. facility, where he allegedly experienced waterboarding, physical assault, and other forms of mistreatment.

However, a recent excerpt from his plea agreement, made public by a federal court, indicates that he has agreed to let certain parts of his disputed confessions be used against him if he is granted the opportunity to plead guilty. This situation is currently tangled in significant political and legal discourse, particularly as it relates to the Trump administration.