A quintet of 9/11 terror suspects including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed began a series of pretrial motion hearings today at Guantanamo Bay, with one Yemeni suspect complaining to the judge that they don’t have any motivation to come to court each day.
The daylong proceedings, before going into closed session shortly before 3 p.m. Eastern time, focused mostly on lawyer changes — Mohammed added an attorney to his team, while Walid bin Attash wanted to dump counsel, though neither wanted to personally affirm this to the judge — and on questions of which high-security information attorneys would be able to view.
The judge also affirmed that the defendants — KSM, bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed al Hawsawi — would not have to be shackled within the courtroom, as there have been “no disruptions from the accused within these four walls.”
Both the judge and defense attorneys strongly questioned a 40-second delay at one point on the feed to reporters, stating there was no obvious need to conceal what was happening in court at that moment. Journalists are subject to an interrupted or muted feed if sensitive information comes up in court.
The prosecution said it would lay out its justification in closed session, though the judge said there needs to be “a little conversation about who turns that light on or off.”
Clad in a camouflage jacket over his white thobe and occasionally touching his long, orange-colored beard (which the Pentagon says is the result of a dye job with berries from his breakfast and other “natural ingredients”), the man accused of masterminding the 9/11 terrorist attacks and confessor to beheading journalist Daniel Pearl had no outburst today as he did in his October hearing.
When asked if he understood his rights to be present or absent from court, barring certain sessions when attendance would be compelled, Mohammed simply affirmatively answered, “Na’am.”
Bin Attash answered that he understood his rights, but had some complaints when the judge asked if he had any questions.
“We don’t have any motivating factors that would invite us to come to the court,” said bin Attash, a Yemeni former assistant to Osama bin Laden who stands accused of training Sept. 11 hijackers and seeking intelligence on U.S. airline security. He is also accused of financing the 2000 attack on the USS Cole and assisting in planning the 1998 U.S. Embassy attack in Kenya.
these morons should have been shot and fed to the sharks as soon as they set foot in cuba…. i’m sure that barrybathouse wants them to have a ticker tape parade down the canyons of heros for their part in the murder of americans. the republicans are just as bad as the demo-rats on this.
Yes, you’re right!
GMTA – the 1389 Blog team has thought of just about everything!
Why we must NEVER take Muslim prisoners
The only way they think of a trial is as a way to accomplish propaganda so the mohammadans are getting frustrated. This must continue. If they start acting out it may become necessary tie and gag them in a seperate room with a monitor on.
All 9/11 family members should be given the option to both participate in, and observe their executions.
Were I king Cheryl Bormann would be deported to Mali and the defendents executed.
But that’s just me.
While I don’t agree, she may believe her professional duty to her client requires establishing the best rapport possible and that means she should dress in a manner that makes the Muslims comfortable around her. Yes, I know, this is America, not Yemen, etc etc, but she is bound to do her best representing her client and dressing in the manner she does is certainly not illegal nor I would think offensive to the court.
Were I king I wouldn’t care. She wanted others to dress like that so as not to discomfit an animal, and there’s the rub.
In Mali she can dress however she doesn’t want to, 24/7.
YES, I read last week in a UK tabloid that an English grandmother was sentenced to hang in Mali for cocaine smuggling. They don’t take prisoners!
– bam thank you na’am!
I’ll be sure and use that argument the next time a cop writes me a ticket
The whole Guantanamo trial thing has dragged on so ridiculously long, I almost (that’s almost) sympathize with KSM & friends.
A total joke, a dog and pony show (Holder’s wet dream), besides which, given their idiotology, western court proceedings have no meaning or substance to them anyway.
KSM asked for “martyrdom” at least 6 or 7 years ago. Currently, some relatives of those killed on 911 are saying death is too good for them.
So they can just continue getting fat and playing volleyball in Gitmo, I guess.
No motivation to come to court?
How about:
Show up or be shot!
Who is this KSM fellow and why is everybody talking about calling 911 from Cuba?
If they’re “uncomfortable” in the vicinity of a female lawyer, they could try getting a male one. Her tactic of trying to impose islamic rules on a secular court should be resisted at all costs. If you concede to the nonsensical notion that muslim defendants may make demands as to the appearance of women in a court, you’ll next be barring women from the court altogether.
After that: Jews, Christians, Hindus, anyone who has ever drunk whisky, or owned a dog…
I kind of think this is the best punishment for them. They don’t get to get martyred like Bin Laden, instead they become an afterthought buried deep within our monstrosity of a a Judicial system, to the point that no one really cares whether or not they are “motivated” enough to come to court.
In ten years if they are still are there, no one will care any more than they do now. Leave it open and let them live out their days in obsolescence. Allahu ahkbar indeed tough guys.
Aw, gee, my heart bleeds… drag their lousy goat-smelling behinds into court, who cares if they don’t feel like it?
Would a boot in your ass be sufficient motivation?
They should take these gitmo pig-dogs, tie them up hand and foot, and hang them by their ankles so that they are waist deep in a vat of pig guts and blood, until they drown.
All of the gitmo pig-dogs should be forced to watch , and wait their turn.
Let’s see then how willing they are to die for allah.
Why are these people alive in the first place?