US Formally Charges Five Al-Qaeda Suspects In 9/11 Attacks
By RFE RL
(RFE/RL) — The United States has formally charged five suspected Al-Qaeda militants with planning the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The five include the alleged mastermind of the attacks, Pakistani Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, as well as Walid bin Attash and Ramzi Binalshibh of Yemen, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali of Pakistan, and Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi of Saudi Arabia.
All five are in the U.S. military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where their military trials are to take place.
The Pentagon said they faced multiple charges — including terrorism, hijacking, conspiracy, murder, and destruction of property.
They could face the death penalty if found guilty.
The five are due to appear in court in May for arraignment.
A trial could be several months away.
