Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Four Co-Defendants Seek to Plead Guilty

There are reports today that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants have indicated that they want to plead guilty to the charges that they are facing before a US military tribunal in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It is a bizarre turn of events when the defendants were likely to see new rights granted under an Obama Administration. I will be discussing the development today on the BBC and later on Rachel Maddow on MSNBC.

Army Colonel Stephen Henley, the tribunal judge, stated on Monday that “The accused in this case had decided that they wished to withdraw all motions… and wished to enter pleas in what was termed as confessions in this case.” When asked by the judge if he was prepared to enter pleas Monday to all the charges, Mohammed reportedly said “Yes. We don’t want to waste time.”

It is unclear if these men know about the likely change in their status in January. Mohammed is clearly facing the death penalty on the charges.

The decision to plead guilty brings to mind the behavior of Zacarias Moussaoui, who appeared to be a barking lunatic made more unpredictable by years of segregation.

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