Via WaPo: Alleged Architect Of 9/11 Confesses To Many Attacks
Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, confessed at a Guantanamo Bay military hearing that he planned and funded that al-Qaeda operation and said he was involved in more than two dozen other terrorist acts around the world, according to documents released by the Pentagon yesterday.In a rambling statement delivered Saturday to a closed-door military tribunal, Mohammed declared himself an enemy of the United States and claimed some responsibility for many of the major terrorist attacks on U.S. and allied targets over more than a decade. He said that he is at war with the United States and that the deaths of innocent people are an unfortunate consequence of that conflict.
I noticed this story over the wire yesterday and to be honest, my reaction was essentially the same as James Joyner’s:
I’m not sure what to make of it. He has been in American custody nearly four years, without access to an attorney, and claims to have been subjected to torture. I’m just not sure how seriously to take his claim of responsibility for the 9/11 attack, let alone for all the other crimes. That he’s a liar is a given; that he’s insane, a distinct possibility.
The guy confessed to not just the 9/11 plot, but a host of other plans. It reminds me of the murderer who confesses to a ton of other unsolved crimes to just play games with the the authorities.
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March 15th, 2007 at 9:20 am
It would be a lot simpler to find the murderer of Jon Benet Ramsey if we would just torture Khalid Sheik Mohammed and threaten his family until he confessed.
Some of you may think torture is too barbaric, but just imagine for a moment the unspeakable atrocities that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed unleashed upon Jon Benet Ramsey.
March 15th, 2007 at 10:25 am
CONFESS! CONFESS!
We shall now use . . . THE COMFY CHAIR!
March 15th, 2007 at 11:44 am
I noticed this story over the wire yesterday and to be honest, my reaction was essentially the same as James Joyner’s
The explanation is simple: The administration releases this to shift front page media coverage from the US Attorney scandal.
Nothing really new is discussed here, but it is presented by the Pentagon as a big deal. Interestingly the hearing took place on March 10 and the transcript isn’t released until yesterday, when–conveniently–more and more people are calling on Gonzalez to resign.
March 17th, 2007 at 12:14 am
“The guy confessed to not just the 9/11 plot, but a host of other plans. It reminds me of the murder who confesses to a ton of other unsolved crimes to just play games with the the authorities.”
It’s kind of mystifying, isn’t it?
March 17th, 2007 at 12:17 am
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