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Politics : Formerly About Advanced Micro Devices -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: tejek who wrote (328921)	3/14/2007 9:38:33 PM
From: Road Walker	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 1574851

Sept. 11 mastermind confesses in Guantanamo hearing: transcripts Associated Press Wednesday, March 14, 2007 CREDIT: AP Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, shown here in a file photo, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, confessed to those attacks, a transcript released Wednesday by the U.S. military said. WASHINGTON — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, confessed to those attacks and a string of others during a military hearing at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said a transcript released Wednesday by the Pentagon. “I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z,” Mohammed said during the session, which was held last Saturday. Mohammed claimed responsibility for planning, financing and training others for bombings ranging from the 1993 attack at the World Trade Center to the attempt by would-be shoe bomber Richard Reid to blow up a transatlantic flight with explosives hidden in his shoes. In all, Mohammed said he was responsible for planning 28 individual attacks, including many that were never executed. The comments were included in a 26-page transcript released by the Pentagon, which blacked out some of his remarks. During an exchange with Mohammed, the military colonel who heads the three-member panel asked about allegations the al-Qaida leader was tortured by the CIA. “Is any statement that you made, was it because of this treatment, to use your word, you claim torture,” the colonel asked. “Do you make any statements because of that?” Portions of Mohammed’s response were deleted from the transcript and his answer was unclear. He later said his lengthy confession to the Guantanamo hearing was given without any pressure, threats or duress. The colonel said Mohammed’s torture allegations would be “reported for any investigation that may be appropriate” and also would be taken into account in consideration of his enemy combatant status. The Pentagon also released transcripts of the hearings of Abu Faraj al-Libi and Ramzi Binalshibh. Binalshibh, a Yemeni, is suspected of helping Mohammed with the Sept. 11 attack plan and is also linked to a foiled plot to crash aircraft into London’s Heathrow Airport. Al-Libi is a Libyan who is reported to have masterminded two bombings 11 days apart in Pakistan in December 2003 that targeted President Pervez Musharraf for his support of the U.S.-led war on terror. The hearings, which began last Friday, are being conducted in secret by the military as it tries to determine whether 14 alleged terrorist leaders should be declared “enemy combatants” who can be held indefinitely and prosecuted by military tribunals. Hearings for six of the 14 have already been held. The military is not allowing reporters to attend the sessions and is limiting the information it provides about them, arguing it wants to prevent sensitive information from being disclosed. The 14 were moved in September from a secret CIA prison network to the prison at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, where about 385 men are being held on suspicion of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban. Mohammed’s confession was read by a member of the U.S. military who is serving as his personal representative and it also claimed he shared responsibility for three other attacks, including assassination attempts against the late pope John Paul II and Musharraf. The transcripts also lay out evidence against Mohammed, saying a computer seized during his capture included detailed information about the Sept. 11 plot — ranging from names and photos of the hijackers to photos of hijacker Mohammad Atta’s pilot’s licence and letters from al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden. Al-Libi also made a statement through his personal representative largely claiming the hearing process is unfair and he will not attend, unless it is corrected. “The detainee is in a lose-lose situation,” his statement said. Binalshibh declined to participate in the process and the hearing was conducted in his absence. Military officials expected some of the 14 suspects not to participate. Legal experts have criticized the U.S. decision to bar independent observers from the hearings. The military held 558 combatant status review tribunals between July 2004 and March 2005 and the panels concluded all but 38 detainees were “enemy combatants” who should be held. Those 38 were eventually released from Guantanamo.