9/11 'mastermind' welcomes prospect of death penalty
The accused mastermind of the September 11 terrorist attacks said he welcomed martyrdom at US hands, as he and four codefendants asked to be tried for war crimes without the benefit of lawyers.
The arraignment at the Guantanamo US Navy base marked the first time that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the former number three leader of al-Qaida, has been seen since he was captured in Pakistan in 2003.
Mohammed said he would welcome being executed after the judge warned him he faces the death penalty if convicted of organising the attacks on America.
"Yes, this is what I wish, to be a martyr for a long time," Mohammed said. "I will, God willing, have this, by you."
Mohammed wore dark-framed prison-issue glasses, a turban and a bushy, grey beard, and was noticeably thinner - a stark change from the slovenly man with dishevelled hair, unshaven face and T-shirt from the widely distributed photograph after his capture in Pakistan. He looked older than his 45 years.
Waleed bin Attash, who allegedly selected and trained some of the hijackers, asked the judge whether the September 11 defendants - who all face possible death sentences - would be buried at Guantanamo or if their bodies would be shipped home if they were executed.
Judge Ralph Kohlmann, a Marine colonel with a crewcut who was dressed in black robes, refused to address the question.
The five co-defendants were at turns cordial and defiant at their arraignment, the first US attempt to try in court those believed to be directly responsible for killing 2,973 people in the bloodiest terrorist attack ever on US soil. All five said they would represent themselves.
The arraignment, in which no pleas were entered, indicated that hatred for the United States among some of the defendants remains at a boil.
One defendant said he deeply regrets not joining the hijackers who crashed passenger airliners into the World Trade Centre, the Pentagon and a Pennsylvania field.
"I have been seeking martyrdom for five years," said Ramzi Binalshibh, the alleged main intermediary between the 19 hijackers and al-Qaida leaders. "I tried for 9/11 to get a visa but I could not."
Asked if he understands that he could be executed if found guilty, Binalshibh said: "If this martyrdom happens today, I welcome it. God is great. God is great. God is great."
Mohammed, seated at the defense table closest to the judge, was careful not to interrupt him. He lost his composure only after the Marine colonel ordered several defence attorneys to keep quiet.
"It's an inquisition. It's not a trial," Mohammed said in broken English, his voice rising. "After torturing they transfer us to inquisition-land in Guantanamo."
As the judge closed the session, which lasted nearly 10 hours with breaks, he asked the defendants to rise, but they refused. He said he would set a trial schedule later.
The trial also threatens to expose harsh interrogation techniques used on the men, who were in CIA custody before being transferred to Guantanamo in 2006.
The administration of US president George Bush has acknowledged that Mohammed was subjected to harsh interrogation techniques including waterboarding - a technique that gives the sensation of drowning - in secret CIA custody before he was transferred to Guantanamo in 2006.
His attorneys have said they will challenge evidence obtained through coercion.
