9/11 defendants denounce U.S. proceedings at Guantanamo
Alleged mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others say they want the death sentence so they can become martyrs. They reject U.S. legal representation.
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA — Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and his alleged Sept. 11 co-conspirators denounced their war crimes trial as illegitimate Thursday and all but one vowed to accept possible death sentences as a path to martyrdom.
Mohammed and his four codefendants rejected representation by the military and civilian lawyers assigned to defend them, but the judge hearing their capital case temporarily ordered attorneys to continue representing two of them.
It was disclosed during the arraignment that alleged Hamburg terrorism cell coordinator Ramzi Binalshibh had been compelled to take psychotropic drugs while imprisoned here. The Army lawyer representing reputed money facilitator Mustafa Ahmed Hawsawi said he had been intimidated by the others into joining the boycott.
Binalshibh objected to being denied the right to represent himself, insisting he has full command of his faculties despite the medication. He echoed Mohammed's desire for martyrdom, reminding the court that he had tried to be among the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackers but was denied a U.S. visa.
Mohammed, known in counterterrorism circles as KSM, took command of his first public appearance since his arrest in Pakistan five years ago. He told the judge, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, that he considered all U.S. law evil and the proceedings against him "an inquisition, not a trial."
When Kohlmann informed the self-proclaimed Al Qaeda operations chief that the charges against him could result in a death sentence, the defendant replied amiably: "This is what I wish. I'm looking to be a martyr for a long time."
Mohammed rejected representation by Navy Capt. Prescott Prince, saying Prince wore the uniform of his American enemies and had pledged allegiance to President Bush, "who wages systemic war against the Islamic world."
When asked if he understood that he faced the death penalty if convicted, Mohammed chanted verses from the Koran about only God being his protector, then repeated them in English for the court. He told the high-security courtroom packed with lawyers, clerks and guards that he would represent himself at a trial the prosecution proposes to start in September.
He also disputed the judge's assurances that the lawyers were provided for his benefit, saying that "after five years of torturing . . . you transfer us to Inquisition Land in Guantanamo."
