In a news conference, Air Force Brig. Gen. Thomas Hartmann, a Defense Department legal adviser, said the six, including alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed, are charged with conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians and terrorism, among other offenses. Any defendant who faces the death penalty must be tried by a 12-member military commission, which must reach a unanimous verdict, Hartmann said. A decision to impose a capital sentence also must be unanimous, he said.
Prosecutors are recommending that all six of the defendants be tried together.
The proceedings will not be televised, but arrangements are likely to be made for families of the Sept. 11 victims to view video of the trial, Hartmann said.
May God have mercy on their miserable souls.
