The alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks and four co-defendants told a military judge Monday they want to immediately confess at their war-crimes tribunal, setting up likely guilty pleas and their possible executions.There are a couple of possibilities here. The terrorists could be trying to make a play towards leniency now that Sen. Barack Obama is set to take office in January. Obama was opposed to the military tribunals and wants to close Gitmo (whether he does is another story entirely as no one has explained where the jihadis currently held there would go and how they would be treated under the laws of the US).
The five said they decided on Nov. 4, the day President-elect Barack Obama was elected to the White House, that they were abandoning all efforts to defend themselves against the capital charges. It was as if they wanted to rush toward convictions before Obama — who has vowed to end the war-crimes trials and close Guantanamo — takes office.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and another defendant said at their arraignment in June they would welcome execution as a path to martyrdom. But word that they were giving up their defense came as a shock to some of the victims' families.
A select group of relatives of the 2,973 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001 were able to see the proceedings in person. Maureen Santora, of Long Island City, N.Y., whose son Christopher died responding to the World Trade Center attacks, wore a black top and black pants and clutched a photo of him in his firefighter uniform.
Alice Hoagland, of Redwood Estates, California, was there for her son Mark Bingham, who is believed to be one of the passengers who fought hijackers on the United flight that crashed in rural Pennsylvania. She said the defendants' announcement was "like a real bombshell to me."
She told reporters she hoped Obama, "an even-minded and just man," would ensure the five alleged mass murderers are punished. She did not elaborate. Nine family members came to Guantanamo for the pretrial hearing but it was not immediately clear if all attended.
Abruptly reversing course on previous attempts to defend themselves in the death-penalty case, the five announced they wanted to drop all defense motions. The judge said competency hearings were pending for two of the detainees, precluding them from immediately filing pleas.
In a letter the judge read aloud in court, the five defendants said they "request an immediate hearing session to announce our confessions."
The letter implies they want to plead guilty, but does not specify whether they will admit to any specific charges. It also says they wish to drop all previous defense motions.
There's also the possibility that they're simply trying to get the martyrdom they've craved for so long by getting the US to sentence them to a well-deserved death. At this point, there's not much more intel to be gleaned from these terrorists who have been held for quite some time.
The possibility that these terrorists will confess to the court as to their role in carrying out the worst terrorist attacks in history would surely throw the conspiracy nuts for a loop, but there's little that would dissuade them from pushing their nonsensical ravings.
Don Surber also throws cold water on the whole notion that they were tortured to provide information.
“We all five have reached an agreement to request from the commission an immediate hearing session in order to announce our confessions… with our earnest desire in this regard without being under any kind of pressure, threat, intimidations or promise from any party.”Still, the anti-American leftists will continue to claim that these terrorists were tortured to provide information on the plots.
Michelle Malkin and Jules Crittenden also weigh in.
UPDATE:
Gabriel Malor at Ace points out that these jihadis are merely grandstanding and aren't actually going to confess to their crimes. Figures.
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