TERROR WATCH
Michael Isikoff and
Mark Hosenball
Disorder in the Court
Inside the Gitmo arraignment of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.
A defiant Khalid Sheikh Mohammed chanted holy verses in Arabic, railed against President George W. Bush for his "crusader" wars and declared his wish to become a "martyr" during a raucous military tribunal hearing convened today to begin the process of trying him as the mastermind of the September 11 terror attacks.
"It's an inquisition, not a trial!" proclaimed Mohammed in a tense, tightly guarded courtroom. "We under five years were under torture. We don't have rights to anything. After all this torturing, they transfer us to inquisitionland in Guantánamo."
The proceedings here offered the first public glimpse of the 43-year-old whom U.S. officials accuse of conceiving and executing the most deadly crime in American history. But the contentious start this morning only underscored the difficulties the Pentagon is expected to encounter in putting Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators on trial—a case that has become a top priority for the Bush administration.
The proceeding today is technically only an arraignment—a formal reading of the charges against the five co-defendants. But it comes amid intense controversy over the legitimacy and fairness of the military tribunal system.
If anything, Mohammed's demeanor and frequent outbursts confirmed what some U.S. officials have long feared about any attempt to bring him to trial: that the accused master terrorist will use the proceedings as a platform to denounce the United States and espouse the radical views of Al Qaeda to the world. Indeed, Mohammed, sporting a massive white and gray beard and dressed in a white tunic and turban, proved a commanding figure in the courtroom. He sparred repeatedly with the judge, Ralph Kohlmann. When Kohlmann asked him if he was willing to accept the military and civilian lawyers appointed for him, Mohammed rose and began chanting Koranic verses.
He then declared, in a surprisingly high-pitched voice, speaking halting but clear English, "I cannot accept any attorney who is not governed by sharia [Islamic] law. I will represent myself. I will not be represented by anybody even if he is a Muslim, because he will be sworn to your American Constitution. I consider all the U.S. Constitution and laws evil. They are allowing for same-sexual marriages and many things that are very bad … Do you understand what I said?"
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Member Comments
Posted By: DXLVI @ 08/06/2008 1:48:40 AM
Comment: The defendants are nothing more than a bunch of crybabies (Allah would be proud). When I think of what they did to the inocent people at the WTC... I hope like hell they were tortured. I doubt it, but I can hope. If I give it any further thought tonight, their suffering would give me comfort. They hate us. Not because we're bad people, but because they are bad people. How many of you rasist have killed anybody because of the color of their skin? How many of you sexist have murdered somebody because their anatomy is different than yours? How many of you religious folk have killed someone from another church? These guys don't just hate diferent people they kill people because they think diferently than them. They don't just want you to be like them, they want you to be like them because they told you so. Do we as Americans (regardless of you politcal party) really need to use these jerks to be intraspective about us? Does anybody here choose these defendants as your, or better yet, your children's role models? These are all better questions than Olderwiser's questions. Sad dictator regime? You must be talking about the Bush administration. Please, consider this. They want to kill or convert as many Americans as they can. They want you to worship Allah just like they do. This will involve you learning to speak Aribic. They want to set-up an islamic dictorship to make sure you worship Allah just like they do. They hate President Bush and you hate President Bush (hack dictator is a pretty nasty thing to call our President). I hope you are as unhappy as you sound. Because you seem to have no problem at all with what the defendants did. Yet, you inpuned the reporters, the military and our President because of a question you think isn't answered in the story. I think they will get a fair trial. Will it be a perfect trial? I bet that's never happened for anybody. Was it an act of war or just a crime. Did they do it to make a buck? Was it vandalism? Or did they murder over 3000 people to achieve a geopolitiacal, ethnic, and religious goal? Sounds a lot like war to me. Either way, we aren't on trial, our country didn't deserve this and if they are guilty then I say execute them, cremate them, and dump their ashes down a toilette.
Posted By: weneed2openris @ 07/25/2008 7:32:10 AM
Comment: I wish that we would stop using the words radical and extremist. The quran is very clear on what muslims should do, they dont have to be radical or extremist...to follow the quran exactly means they must fight in the name of allah. That is not to say that all muslims are bad in anyway, most muslims do not follow the quran word for word, but their holy quran states, if they are called to fight, and dont, they are as bad as the infidels (unbelievers). So media, please stop using those words, extremist or radical, islam is NOT a religion of peace but of violence and the quran is saturated with instructions to kill all unbelievers. We better open our eyes before we are under sharia law.
Posted By: simplesimon33 @ 06/18/2008 11:54:29 PM
Comment: Martyrs in the making at Guantanamo by Timothy Rutten LA Times (on 6/8/08)
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed may have been called to answer about 9/11 attacks but real questions will never be asked at these mock trials like:
1. What was the connection between Pakistani ISI and Al Qaeda?
2. Who in Pakistani government was KSM in contact with?
3. Pakistani ISI director General Mahmoud Ahmed had instructed Omar Sheikh (kidnapper of Daniel Pearl) to wire $100,000 dollars to lead hijacker Mohammed Atta in his Florida bank account. Mohammed Atta used that money for flight training, living expenses and purchase of tickets on the day of the attacks. How many meetings did KSM had with General Mahmoud Ahmed before 9/11 attacks to finalize that arrangement?
4. General Mahmoud Ahmed as ISI Director only reported to Army Chief General Musharraf. Did KSM also met General Musharraf to finalize the day of 9/11 attacks and financing of the attacks? How did two Generals as Pakistani government leaders helped in executing 9/11 attacks?
5. How did Omar Sheikh who was released by India in 1998 hijacking of an Indian airliner to Taliban, wound up with KSM?
6. Why did kidnappers of Daniel Pearl demand the delivery of F-16 jet fighters by US to Pakistani government as a condition for release of Daniel Pearl? What connection did kidnappers of Daniel Pearl have with Pakistani government?
simple simon