Military Judge Excludes Part of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s 9/11 Confession From Evidence
The judge said the FBI statements were involuntary and barred them from trial, removing prosecutors’ most important evidence in the death-penalty case.
- Military judge Michael Schrama ruled Friday that 2007 FBI confessions from Khalid Shaikh Mohammed are inadmissible, dealing a major setback to the government's death-penalty case regarding the Sept. 11 attacks.
- Schrama cited an "unbroken continuation" of CIA psychological conditioning and coercion at the time of the 2007 questioning, finding FBI agents intentionally failed to inform Mohammed of his rights to remain silent and consult counsel.
- Prosecutors had described these interrogations at Guantanamo Bay as the case's most crucial evidence, but the judge wrote that "the prosecution has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Mohammad's statements to the F.B.I. were voluntarily given."
- The development arrives just over two weeks before the 25th anniversary of the attacks, potentially delaying the trial already scheduled for June 5, 2028, and heightening victims' family concerns.
- Legal and procedural setbacks have defined the case since 2001, with pretrial hearings ongoing since the 2012 arraignment, as Schrama has not yet ruled on confessions from co-defendants Walid and Mustafa.
106 Articles
106 Articles
The ruling questions how the statements were obtained and further complicates the process in Guantánamo
A U.S. military judge ruled out the confessions of Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, accused of planning the 11 September attacks, submitted to the FBI; based on his being subjected to coercion and torture by the CIA.
Judge tosses 9/11 mastermind KSM’s confession after trial date set, cites ‘severe coercion’
A military judge on Friday tossed out the confession that alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed gave the FBI almost 20 years ago. Military judge Lt. […]
Judge throws out key 9/11 confession as tainted by torture
In a major blow to the U.S. case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks, a military judge ruled Friday that the prisoner’s confessions to FBI agents were not voluntary and cannot be used against him at trial.
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