Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Coming To New York: A Look At The 10 Terror Suspects Headed To US
WASHINGTON — Ten high-profile Guantanamo Bay detainees are being transferred to face justice in the United States.
The five detainees heading to civilian court in New York to face charges they orchestrated the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks are:
_Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who admitted to interrogators that he was the mastermind of the attacks. He allegedly proposed the concept to Osama bin Laden as early as 1996, obtained funding for the attacks from bin Laden, oversaw the operation and trained the hijackers in Afghanistan and Pakistan. He was born in Pakistan's Baluchistan province and raised in Kuwait.
_Waleed bin Attash, a Yemeni better known as Khallad, allegedly ran an al-Qaida training camp in Logar, Afghanistan, where two of the 19 hijackers were trained. Bin Attash is believed to have been bin Laden's bodyguard. Authorities say bin Laden selected him as a hijacker, but he was prevented from participating when he was briefly detained in Yemen in early 2001.
_Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni, allegedly helped find flight schools for the hijackers, helped them enter the United States and assisted with financing the operation. He allegedly was selected to be a hijacker and made a "martyr video" in preparation for the operation, but he was unable to get a U.S. visa. He also is believed to be a lead operative for a foiled plot to crash aircraft into London's Heathrow Airport.
_Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar Al-Baluchi, allegedly helped nine of the hijackers travel to the United States and sent them $120,000 for expenses and flight training. He is believed to have served as a key lieutenant to Mohammed in Pakistan. He was born in Pakistan's Baluchistan province and raised in Kuwait.
_Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, a Saudi, allegedly helped the hijackers with money, Western clothing, traveler's checks and credit cards. Al-Hawsawi testified in the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui, saying he had seen Moussaoui at an al-Qaida guesthouse in Kandahar, Afghanistan, in early 2001, but was never introduced to him or conducted operations with him.
The five headed for military commissions in the United States on a variety of terrorism charges are:
_Omar Khadr, born in Toronto, who was 15 when captured after allegedly killing an American soldier during a 2002 battle in Afghanistan. He is accused of killing U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Speer of Albuquerque, N.M., with a grenade. Authorities say he is the son of a slain al-Qaida financier.
_Ahmed Mohammed al-Darbi, who allegedly has met with Osama bin Laden, trained at an al-Qaida terrorist camp, and plotted to blow up a ship in the Strait of Hormuz or off Yemen. After his capture, al-Darbi says American troops subjected him to beatings, excruciating shackling, painfully loud music, isolation and threats of rape.
_Ibrahim Ahmed Mahmoud al Qosi, who is accused of acting as al-Qaida's accountant, paymaster and supply chief during the 1990s when the terror network was centered in Sudan and Afghanistan. He allegedly worked later as a bodyguard for Osama bin Laden.
_Noor Uthman Muhammed, who is allegedly a member of al-Qaida, trained at a camp in Afghanistan and later become a weapons instructor. From 1996 to 2000 he allegedly was deputy commander of at a terror training camp, where he oversaw its operations.
_Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri is the alleged mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole. Al-Nashiri, a Saudi of Yemeni descent, has been imprisoned at Guantanamo since 2006.
While the government is also facing a Monday deadline in the case of Mohammed Kamin, an administration official said they have not decided where to charge him. Kamin is accused of placing missiles near U.S.-occupied areas in Afghanistan. He allegedly trained as an al-Qaida operative in 2003 and spied on American military bases before he was captured later that year.
He has denied having any connection with al-Qaida or the Taliban and said the charges against him are lies.
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DEVLIN BARRETT | 11/13/09 07:44 PM |