Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 28
Judge Bars 2007 Mohammed Confessions in Sept. 11 Case, Threatening 2028 Trial
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 28

Judge Bars 2007 Mohammed Confessions in Sept. 11 Case, Threatening 2028 Trial

3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 28

Summary

  • Friday’s ruling blocked Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s 2007 statements to FBI agents from the Sept. 11 death-penalty case after a military judge found the confessions were not voluntary.
  • Those Guantánamo interrogations had been described by prosecutors as their most crucial evidence against the man accused of masterminding the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
  • The decision goes beyond earlier limits on statements taken after Mohammed’s 2003 capture and CIA interrogations, extending exclusion to questioning conducted after his 2006 transfer to Guantánamo.
  • A June 5, 2028 trial date was set only this week, but an expected prosecution appeal could delay proceedings again as the case nears the attacks’ 25th anniversary.

Insights

Will the dark legacy of secret CIA black sites ultimately let the accused mastermind of 9/11 escape a death sentence?
With the mastermind's key confessions thrown out, how can prosecutors salvage the trial of the century before time runs out?