If anyone knows where the skeletons are buried contradicting the official 9/11 narrative then it’s none other than alleged terror mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The Wall Street Journal and others report that he’s ready to spill the beans on Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the worst terror attack to ever take place on American soil as part of a victims’ lawsuit seeking damages from the kingdom as a state sponsor.
A letter filed in the US District Court in Manhattan disclosed an offer to spare Mohammed the death penalty in exchange for his willingness to be deposed by the victims, who are seeking billions of dollars in damage from the kingdom, making it extremely politically sensitive regarding both embarrassing secrets of Riyadh’s role in 9/11 and the potential to severely damage US-Saudi economic ties.
As Al Jazeera noted, however, it’s as yet “unclear if US President Donald Trump, who is close to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, would allow a plea deal for Mohammed to give evidence.” Furthermore, Bruce Fein, former US associate deputy attorney general, explained of the high stakes that, “If the plaintiffs win in this case, it could be hundreds of billions of dollars.” He added, “You have over 3,000 plaintiffs, compensatory plus punitive damages and a jury very hostile to Saudi Arabia, it could virtually bankrupt Saudi Arabia. All their assets in the US and elsewhere could be seized.”
The victims’ lawsuit has been slowly moving forward for years, especially after Congress in 2016 passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), allowing US citizens for the first time to sue a foreign state if that state sponsored international terrorism which harmed the victims.
Notably the declassification of the famous “28 pages” also in 2016, a secret document part of a 2002 congressional investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks, but which had remained hidden from public view since the report’s completion and was the only section to deal with the question of a state sponsor, was a huge milestone in further uncovering Saudi complicity.
The missing 28 pages from the 9/11 report began as follows:
“While in the United States, some of the September 11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government…”
It’s believed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s crucial testimony could fill in key details surrounding what Saudi Arabia knew of the plot beforehand, and in what ways its intelligence facilitated it. Or his testimony could also open up entirely new avenues previously undiscovered.
However, as Reuters notes, we could still be a long way out from that point:
According to the letter, the plaintiffs’ lawyers have been in contact with lawyers for five witnesses in federal custody about their availability for depositions.
The lawyers said three, including Mohammed, are housed at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba detention camp, where they face capital charges, while two are at the “Supermax” maximum security prison in Florence, Colorado.
According to the letter, Mohammed would not agree “at the present time” to be deposed, but that could change.
Ultimately, a lot of delicate issues, not the least of which is the Trump administration’s approval of a plea deal to spare the death penalty, would have to fall in line before Mohammed starts testifying.
9/11 ringleader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed accuses the Saudi government of helping to coordinate the 2001 terrorist attacks. https://t.co/PO0Nrj5e60
— Max Abrahms (@MaxAbrahms) July 30, 2019
One person familiar with the case, but who remained unnamed, cited in the WSJ report said the families hope to gain the alleged terror mastermind’s cooperation: “One of the main things that the 9/11 defendants have to offer is closure, particularly closure for the victims.” He added: “With capital charges gone, there is an opportunity to tell the story of 9/11 once and for all.”
However, we doubt the US government and specifically the US-Saudi intelligence nexus and ‘deep state’ has the least bit of interest in doing this. But this is precisely what’s motivating the 9/11 victim’s families to press on — to expose the ugly truth.
via ZeroHedge News https://ift.tt/2SRAP3Q Tyler Durden