The reaction was immediate following the announcement that three terrorists responsible for the September 11 attacks would avoid the death penalty after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors on Wednesday.
Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi had been awaiting trial at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, when they made this arrangement with Susan Escallier, the Convening Authority for Military Commissions, as reported by the Department of Defense (DOD).
The three accused are believed to have provided training, financial support, and various other forms of aid to the 19 hijackers who took control of passenger planes and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001.
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A hijacked plane crashes into the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. (Seth McAllister/AFP via Getty Images)
After learning of the plea deal on Wednesday, families of nearly 3,000 victims killed in the attacks expressed their anger and disappointment.
“I am immensely disappointed. We have waited patiently for years. I sought the death penalty; the government has let us down,” stated Daniel D’Allara, whose twin brother, John, an NYPD officer, lost his life during the attacks, in an interview with the New York Post.
On September 11, 2001, pedestrians in Lower Manhattan observe smoke rising from the World Trade Center. The coordinators of these attacks have reached a plea deal with prosecutors as of Wednesday. (AP Photo/Amy Sancetta)
“I feel like I’ve been punched in the gut,” expressed Jim Smith, a retired police officer and spouse of Moira Smith, the sole female officer who perished on 9/11, to the Post. “The families and the prosecution have waited for 23 years for the chance to present what these individuals did to our loved ones.”
Brett Eagleson, then 15, when his father Bruce died in the World Trade Center, shared with the Boston Herald that the timing of the plea agreement felt “incredibly disrespectful.”
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Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is depicted in images released by the FBI on October 10, 2001. (FBI | Getty Images)
“This is merely an attempt to close the chapter on 9/11 and move forward without accountability,” he remarked.
In response, lawmakers and public officials criticized the Biden administration for the plea agreement.
Senator Ted Cruz, R-Texas, denounced the deal as a “disgrace,” attributing it to the Biden administration.
“Anything short of their execution represents a total and complete failure of justice. This administration continues to showcase weakness towards our enemies,” he voiced on X.
Ohio Senator JD Vance, who served as former President Trump’s running mate during the current election cycle, condemned the plea agreement during a campaign event in Glendale, Arizona, on Wednesday.
Firefighters navigate through the rubble following the World Trade Center attack in New York City on September 11, 2001. (Courtesy of Frank Paplia)
“We require a president committed to eliminating terrorists, not one who engages in negotiations with them,” he declared to attendees.
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, stated, “Their crimes deserve the ultimate punishment. There should be zero leniency or plea deals.”
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., emphasized that the three defendants bear the responsibility for the bloodshed of Americans.
“Yet they’ve reportedly been permitted to make a guilty plea and escape the death penalty, potentially receiving various other concessions,” Graham wrote on social media. “From the frantic withdrawal from Afghanistan to broken borders and allowing Iran to gain power, the Biden-Harris Administration has proven to be a favorable ally for terrorists and rogue nations like Iran.”
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House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., labeled the deal a “disgrace” to the families of the victims.
“America expressed its grief for weeks as first responders diligently worked through the destruction at Ground Zero, the Pentagon, and in Shanksville,” he pointed out. “For over twenty years, the families of those slaughtered by these terrorists have sought justice. This plea agreement is an affront to those families. They warranted better treatment from the Biden-Harris Administration.”
