WASHINGTON (NEWSnet/AP) — The men accused of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decadelong prosecution, according to a letter from the chief prosecutor sent to the families of nearly 3,000 victims that died in the attacks.

The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody. 

“The Office of the Chief Prosecutor has been negotiating and is considering entering into pre-trial agreements,” or PTAs, the letter said. It told the families that while no plea agreement “has been finalized, and may never be finalized, it is possible that a PTA in this case would remove the possibility of the death penalty."

Some relatives expressed outrage over the prospect of ending the case short of a verdict. The military prosecutors pledged to consider their views.

On Sept. 11, 2001, conspirators from the al-Qaida militant group seized control of jets to use them as passenger-filled missiles, hitting New York's World Trade Center and the Pentagon near Washington. A fourth plane was headed for Washington but crashed in Pennsylvania after crew members and passengers tried to storm the cockpit.

Copyright 2023 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.