The U.S. on Wednesday charged Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others for plotting and executing the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks. From the Pentagon’s release announcing the charges:
The charges allege that the five accused are responsible for the planning and execution of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, in New York, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pa., resulting in the killing of 2,976 people.
The convening authority referred the case to a capital military commission, meaning that, if convicted, the five accused could be sentenced to death. Pursuant to the reforms in the Military Commissions Act of 2009, each of the five accused have been provided, in addition to their detailed defense counsel, learned counsel, possessing specialized knowledge and experience in death penalty cases, to assist them in their defense.
