Current:Home > NewsSept. 11 families group leader cheers restoration of death penalty option in 9-11 prosecutions -Wealth Legacy Solutions
Sept. 11 families group leader cheers restoration of death penalty option in 9-11 prosecutions
TrendPulse View
Date:2025-03-11 04:28:41
The head of a group of family members of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks said Saturday that she’s hearing nearly unanimous praise of the U.S. defense secretary’s nullification of plea deals for the accused 9/11 mastermind and two others that would have removed the death penalty as a possibility.
The American Civil Liberties Union, meanwhile, said it plans to challenge the reversal in court, citing it in a statement Saturday as a “rash act” that “violates the law.”
Terry Strada, national chair of the group 9/11 Families United, said she was shocked by the announcement late Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was rejecting a plea deal reached just days ago and was restoring the death penalty as an option in the cases.
He wrote that authority in the matter ultimately rested with him.
“Nobody saw this coming,” Strada said.
But she quickly added that it was the right thing to do.
“These men deserve no mercy,” Strada said. “They certainly didn’t show any mercy to my husband or the other 2,976 who died in the attacks.”
She said dozens of individuals from her group who she has communicated with since Friday night have been unanimous.
“Everybody I’ve talked to wants them put to death because that’s the punishment that fits the crime and the message the United States needs to send to terrorists around the world: We will hold you accountable and exercise the death penalty,” Strada said.
And she said a large international prisoner swap that occurred Thursday was a reminder of the need to ensure that nobody behind the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks that turned hijacked planes into missiles that tore through 110-story twin World Trade Center towers and smashed into the Pentagon are ever set free.
Strada has said as recently as several days ago that some of the 10,000 family members of those killed in the attacks are divided over whether the death penalty is appropriate.
Austin’s action came two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced that the official appointed to oversee the war court had approved plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
In a release Saturday, ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero said the civil rights group plans to sue to win a reversal of Austin’s move.
“It’s stunning that Secretary Austin betrayed 9/11 family members seeking judicial finality while recklessly setting aside the judgment of his own prosecutors and the Convening Authority, who are actually steeped in the 9/11 case. Politics and command influence should play no role in this legal proceeding,” Romero said.
He said any death penalty finding would not be upheld on appeal because of torture experienced by those who were captured after the 9/11 attacks and because military commissions are “inherently unjust.”
“After over 20 years, it’s time for our government to accept the defendants’ guilty pleas as the best solution in a terrible circumstance. The 9/11 families and the American people deserve closure and adherence to due process principles that are the bedrock of our democracy,” Romero said.
Families of those killed in the al-Qaida attacks were told in letters that the plea agreement stipulated that the men would serve up to life sentences but would not face death.
Strada said family members feared that if they were placed in U.S. prisons, “any future administration could commute their sentence or use them in a possible prison swap.”
“I’m not a ghoul that I want them put to death,” Strada added. “I want them put them to death because I don’t want them to have a voice, ever.”
veryGood! (29)
Related
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- At COP28 summit, activists and officials voice concern over Gaza’s environment, devastated by war
- Rizz is Oxford's word of the year for 2023. Do you have it?
- These 40 Holiday Gifts From Kardashian-Jenner Brands Will Make You Say You're Doing Amazing, Sweetie
- Scoot flight from Singapore to Wuhan turns back after 'technical issue' detected
- From 'The Bear' to 'Jury Duty', here's a ranking of 2023's best TV shows
- Wikipedia, wrapped. Here are 2023’s most-viewed articles on the internet’s encyclopedia
- Gloria Allred represents family of minor at the center of Josh Giddey investigation
- Biden administration makes final diplomatic push for stability across a turbulent Mideast
- Here's why NASA's mission to put humans back on the moon likely won't happen on time
Ranking
- 'Squid Game' without subtitles? Duolingo, Netflix encourage fans to learn Korean
- The Ultimate Gift Guide for Every Woman in Your Life: Laneige, UGG, Anthropologie, Diptyque & More
- Grand Theft Auto VI leak followed by an official trailer with a twist: A release date of 2025
- Gloria Allred representing family involved with Josh Giddey case
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Cardi B Sparks Offset Breakup Rumors After Sharing Message on Outgrowing Relationships
- More than $980K raised for Palestinian student paralyzed after being shot in Vermont
- Prince Harry challenges UK government’s decision to strip him of security detail when he moved to US
Recommendation
Head of the Federal Aviation Administration to resign, allowing Trump to pick his successor
2023 NFL MVP odds: Brock Purdy moves into three-way tie for lead after Week 13
Video shows elderly 17-year-old Shih Tzu rescued from air vent in Virginia home: Watch
Missing Idaho baby found dead by road; father in custody in connection with death of his wife
'Most Whopper
California man charged in killings of 3 homeless people in Los Angeles
Cause sought of explosion that leveled an Arlington, Virginia, home as police tried to serve warrant
Hungary’s Orban demands Ukraine’s EU membership be taken off the agenda at a bloc summit