September 11 Defendant Mounts Vigorous Defense
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — The proclaimed architect of the September 11, 2001, attacks once declared that he wanted to be executed and become a martyr. But Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is mounting a vigorous defense, even asking the military judge to remove himself yesterday.
Acting as his own attorney, Mr. Mohammed’s readiness to raise pretrial challenges on behalf of himself and his four co-defendants ensures the case will not be over quickly. It now has little chance of going to trial before the end of the Bush administration.
Charles “Cully” Stimson, a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for detainee affairs, said Mr. Mohammed aims to use the military tribunal to rally Al Qaeda supporters.
“KSM will mess with the system to the extent he can, and he will use the trial as a platform to speak to those who look up to him as a hero,” Mr. Stimson told the Associated Press in an e-mail.
