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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, is pictured before judge Army Col. James Pohl on the third day of pre-trial hearings in the 9/11 war crimes prosecution at the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba on Wednesday.
The judge in overseeing proceedings against the five men who allegedly orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks allowed what he said was a one-time only opportunity for the key defendant, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to air his views on Wednesday.
In the divergence from ongoing pre-trial proceedings aimed at laying the ground rules for a trial at a U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba came in the third of five scheduled days of hearings.
A transcript of Mohammed’s remarks, translated from Arabic, offer a window into the thinking of the 47-year-old Kuwaiti-born militant, who has been detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba since 2006. Before that he was detained in secret CIA facilities and subjected to harsh interrogation techniques, including dozens of sessions of "waterboarding":
Yes. In the name of God, most graceful, the government at the end of the argument gave you an advice. They told you any decision you're going to issue you have to keep in mind the national security and to remember that there were 3,000 people killed on September 11. And I would like to give you a similar advice.
Any decision you will take, you have to keep in mind that the government, that the government is using the definition of national security as it chooses. And this expression has a definition in the Military Commission's Rules.
We have heard the expression of national security again yesterday and today about tens of times. And everyone use this expression as he or she chooses. But legislators and legal people who deal in the legal field, they have to differentiate between the politicians' use of this word and the legal people's use of this word.
When the government feels sad for the death or killing of 3,000 people who were killed on September 11, we also should feel sorry that the American government, who is represented by General Martins and others, (has) killed thousands of people—millions.
This definition is a resilient definition, lasting. Every dictator can put on this definition as they choose, as he chooses to step on every definition in this world, every person, and every law and every constitution.
With this definitions, many can evade the rule and also can go against it. Many can kill people under the name of national security and to torture people under the name of national security and to detain children under the name of national security, underage children.
I don't want to be long, but I can say that the president can take someone and throw him in the sea under the name of national security. And so—well, he can also legislate the killings, assassinations under the name of national security, (of) American citizens.
My only advice to you, that you do not get affected by the crocodile tears. Because your blood is not made of gold and ours is made out of water. We are all human beings. Thank you.
The judge, Army Col. James Pohl, did not interrupt the speech, but made it clear that the speech was a one-time opportunity in the proceedings.
"Okay," said Pohl, addressing civil defense attorney David Nevin. "Just I think we need to make something clear here, is that I didn't interrupt Mr. Mohammed. He requested to make a statement to the court. But this is a one-time occurrence. If accused wish to represent themselves as attorneys, that's one issue. But no matter how heart-felt, I'm not going to again entertain personal comments of any accused about the way things are going. Do you understand what I'm saying, Mr. Nevin?"
"I understand," Nevin responded.
"I'm not pointing a finger," Pohl continued. "I want to make it very clear, I didn't interrupt him on this, but it is clear this was his personal statement of what he thought. Although he has the right to have that opinion he does not have the right to voice that opinion or any accused to stop the proceedings to give his personal observations and comments. I just want to make it clear the fact that I did not interrupt and let him finish should not be interpreted that this is an acceptable procedure of this Commission.
Mohammed and his accused co-conspirators are accused of terrorism and murder in the attacks, which killed 2,976 people. Mohammed has previously said that he was behind Sept. 11 and other terror attacks, and personally beheaded American journalist Daniel Pearl in February 2002 after the reporter was abducted in Pakistan.
The court's hearing on arguments on some two dozen motions, mainly involving secrecy and prisoner's rights, continued Thursday and were scheduled to run through Friday.
NBC News' Courtney Kube and Kari Huus contributed to this report.
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Again, my solution for this person: solder him into a railroad car, tie it to a 747 and fly it out over the ocean. Drop said railroad car in about 3 miles of water and make sure it sinks slowly. Send a video to al-Jazeera. Problem solved.
Life in prison without any chance of parole is much worse than death. Living in a small box is nothing but torture, far worse than you can ever imagine.
@robertlevy Make that life in solitary confinement in prison. That is actually a fate much worse than death.
And serve the P.O.S bacon every morning!!!!!!!
"solder him into a railroad car" - I don't think that will impress the criminals who make beheading videos.
You need to respond with even greater levels of brutality.
I have to commend the CIA over the treatment of this man. I would not have thought it possible for anyone to get these sadistic terrorists to actually reflect over the fact that we are all human. However, when it comes to this sad excuse for a human being, that reflection regarding our common humanity comes a little late to serve as a credible appeal for mercy. But I do hope that he continues to hold that thought right up until the moment of his execution, which I only wish I could decide the nature of. Suffice it to say that my personal goal in executing this hypocrite would be to indelibly sear that thought into his consciousness and subconsciousness for all eternity. In lieu of that, I hope his sentence is life imprisonment in solitary confinement for the rest of his life, with plenty of ropes around to end it any time he pleases.
A sociopath will say anything. Any reflections on humanity this guy is saying is taqiyya and not-so-subtle aggression and ridicule and for nothing but effect. It's not real.
I wonder why the terrorists didn't attack Canada.
Because canada never militarized religious extremists for political gain. I think..
Canada is energy self sufficient....or at least pretty darn close.
Until we, the U.S., decide to break that shackle to the Middle East, we can only expect more of the same crap.
Muslims ... because the world needs more lying, delusional scum in the courtroom.
Islam is poison, Mammy. Yes, I knows, Miss Scarlett, I knows ...
If we took all the lying delusional scum out the courtroom, it would just be an oddly decorated empty room.
Why is this guy still alive?
I was thinking the same thing.
they should waterboard this P.O.S twice a day just for fun, other than that, solitary confinement for life
How about scaphism?
According to Wikipedia: "Death by scaphism was incredibly painful, humiliating and protracted. Plutarch writes in his biography of Artaxerxes II that Mithridates, sentenced to die in this manner in 401 BC for boasting about killing Cyrus the Younger, survived 17 days before dying."
OK, I have heard enough, They are Guilty, Death Penalty tomorrow, Stop wasting out time and Money, I do not beleive these filthy pigs need rights afforded to Humans
The camel humper should have not been allowed to speak at all.
This is both sad and funny.
The sad part is, it sounds like he's saying "some Americans have killed thousands of innocent people, so I'm justified in killing thousands of innocent Americans". His logic is lame. There is NEVER a justification for killing innocent people. He deserves to be sentenced to death. By the principle of estoppel, he can no longer object to himself being killed.
The funny part is that these backwards, barbaric, semi-retarded cave-dwellers are so inept at accomplishing their goals.
It must also be noted that the terrorist attacks of 9/11 killed innocent people from 83 different countries. Assuming conviction to be a given; should he request or accept a death penalty, it should be denied, as this would make him a martyr in the eyes of Islamists. Solitary confinement in some prison not revealed to the public would be in order.
It would be easier for him to air his thoughts with a large bullet hole in his head.
Just cut his throat, throw him in a deep hole, cover him up and don t tell anyone about it. He just disappears.
The opportunity to actually "rationalize" mass murder is offensive on its face. Where is a defendant given the right to just spew extremism unless pro se? Even then, the statements have to have context and relevance. This is more pandering to people who want us all dead. period.
His name is mohammed? Who would have thunk it ? What an original name for the goat molesterer .
2 problems with his speech:
1. No one "appointed" him or his fellow mass murderers to "avenge" what America did in the past. This is just sociopathic justification for his evil acts, attempting to make himself appear as the agent of Good, not the agent of Death.
2. Extending his logic, the West is then permitted to mass bomb various islamic countries or gatherings, to avenge the deaths on 9-11. This clearly is NOT what he wants, but his megalomaniacal point of view does not permit this level of reasoning.
The Solution:
The West needs to demand that respected Islamic religious authorites declare that aq and its teachings are actually HERESY. Not merely "condemn" them - not merely claim they are "hijackers" or "rogue" - but in fact declare that these teachings and these actions are IN FACT contrary to islam and that islam cannot permit its name and mantle of authority be used in connection with what these people do and preach.
Until THAT SPECIFIC action happens, this will be a never-ending cycle of more mass murder attacks, followed by statements like "we condemt this, just as we condemn ------" and then the moral relativity arguments begin, which just stokes the fires of these sociopathic mass murderers (instead of stopping it).
I've never actually been directly involved in a trial, but it seems to me that anyone else would have been directed to remain silent or be found in contempt of court or something. Why was this man even allowed to speak? Why do these people have so many "rights," especially when they have confessed to or, rather, bragged about their evil misdeeds? How can this trial be unfair if it is done exactly the same way as any other criminal trial instead of making these kinds of exceptions to hear this man speak? NOW it has become unfair.
X
Why are these people just being tried now? Get on with the trials, and then end it with the punishment.
I'm intrigued by his statement. I expected an anti-America-the-Great Satan speech. I expected flaming condemnation of American involvement in the region. I expected a lecture as to why we do not belong in Afghanistan (while IGNORING the fact we armed Bin Laden to fight the Soviets who did the same thing we're doing, only far more openly). I expected anything BUT a polite expression of his view of using the broad term "National Security" to justify the treatment of suspected terrorists.
Now lock the bastards up in dark rooms deep under ground and throw away the key.
I'm waiting for the bleeding hearts to jump in and try to change my mind. I served at Ground Zero. You won't be changing my mind.
Why is he STILL breathing?
feed em ta da pigs
For someone who's supposed to be a "mastermind" I can't really say I'm impressed at all. Intellectually shallow and a bit pathetic. More of a whimper than a statement.