U.S. military prosecutors are reportedly negotiating potential plea deals with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other conspirators imprisoned in Guantanamo Bay.
The plea deals may allow the five dependents to escape a potential death penalty, according to CBS. Mohammed is widely credited with being the architect of the 9/11 terror attacks. The other four defendants are Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, Walid bin Attash and Ammar al-Baluchi.
Attorneys for the defendants reportedly say they would be willing to enter a guilty plea in exchange for taking the death penalty off the table, as well as for getting treatment for alleged torture they experienced while in CIA custody.
The CIA held each of the five men for interrogation prior to their arrival in Guantanamo in 2006. Critics argue the CIA's methods amounted to illegal torture.
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James Connell, a defense attorney for al-Baluchi, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
Mohammed and his co-defendants are charged with crimes including terrorism, hijacking and 2,976 counts of murder for their alleged roles planning and providing logistical support to the Sept. 11 plot.
The trial for the five men has been bogged down in legal challenges for years. Prosecutors attempted to advance via pre-trial hearings in late 2021, but there remains no end in sight.
Each of the defendants has been assigned a military lawyer, a civilian lawyer and a human rights lawyer. The case has come before seven different judges, with the latest being Air Force Lt. Col. Matthew McCall.
Lucas Tomlinson and Audrey Conklin contributed to this report.
