September 11 Plotter Agrees to Plead Guilty

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of orchestrating the September 11, 2001 attacks, has agreed to plead guilty along with two accomplices. The pleas are expected to be entered next week at Guantanamo Bay, ending a 16-year prosecution and bringing some closure for the families of the nearly 3,000 victims.

The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's September 11, 2001, attacks has agreed to plead guilty, the Defense Department has confirmed.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices in the attack are anticipated to enter their pleas next week at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

This US agreement, which comes over 16 years after the prosecution began, follows more than two decades since the terror attacks that claimed nearly 3,000 lives. Victims' families have long awaited the men’s formal admission of guilt. Pentagon officials did not release the plea bargain terms, although The New York Times reports the deal includes the men’s demand to avoid the death penalty.