US scraps plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

US scraps plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
This Dec. 8, 2008, courtroom drawing shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba. (AP/File)
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Updated 03 August 2024
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US scraps plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

US scraps plea deal with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
  • Deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices announced Wednesday had appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution
  • But they sparked anger among some relatives of those killed on September 11, 2001, as well as criticism from leading Republican politicians

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday scrapped a plea agreement with 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, just two days after the announcement of a deal that reportedly would have taken the death penalty off the table.
Deals with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices announced Wednesday had appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution — but sparked anger among some relatives of those killed on September 11, 2001, as well as criticism from leading Republican politicians.
“I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused... responsibility for such a decision should rest with me,” Austin said in a memorandum addressed to Susan Escallier, who oversaw the case.
“I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case,” the memo said.
The cases against the 9/11 defendants have been bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings for years, while the accused remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
The New York Times reported this week that Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa Al-Hawsawi had agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy in exchange for a life sentence, instead of facing a trial that could lead to their executions.
Much of the legal jousting surrounding the men’s cases has focused on whether they could be tried fairly after having undergone methodical torture at the hands of the CIA in the years after 9/11.
The plea agreements would have avoided that thorny issue, but they also sparked sharp criticism from political opponents of President Joe Biden’s administration.
Republican lawmaker Mike Rogers, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, sent a letter to Austin that said the deals were “unconscionable,” while House Speaker Mike Johnson said they were a “slap in the face” to the families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the September 11 attacks.
And Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, described the agreements as a “sweetheart deal with 9/11 terrorists,” saying during a campaign rally: “We need a president who kills terrorists, not negotiates with them.”
Mohammed was regarded as one of Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden’s most trusted and intelligent lieutenants before his March 2003 capture in Pakistan. He then spent three years in secret CIA prisons before arriving at Guantanamo in 2006.
The trained engineer — who has said he masterminded the 9/11 attacks “from A to Z” — was involved in a string of major plots against the United States, where he had attended university.
Bin Attash, a Saudi of Yemeni origin, allegedly trained two of the hijackers who carried out the September 11 attacks, and his US interrogators also said he confessed to buying the explosives and recruiting members of the team that killed 17 sailors in an attack on the USS Cole.
After the US invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, he took refuge in neighboring Pakistan and was captured there in 2003. He was then held in a network of secret CIA prisons.
Hawsawi is suspected of managing the financing for the 9/11 attacks. He was arrested in Pakistan on March 1, 2003, and was also held in secret prisons before being transferred to Guantanamo in 2006.
The United States used Guantanamo, an isolated naval base, to hold militants captured during the “War on Terror” that followed the September 11 attacks in a bid to keep the defendants from claiming rights under US law.
The facility held roughly 800 prisoners at its peak, but they have since slowly been repatriated to other countries. Biden pledged before his election to try to shut down Guantanamo, but it remains open.


X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked

X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked
Updated 02 October 2024
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X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked

X agrees to pay Brazil fines, court orders finances unblocked
  • High-profile judge Moraes has been engaged in a long feud with Tesla and SpaceX owner Musk as part of his drive to crack down on disinformation in Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO: A Brazilian judge on Tuesday ordered the unblocking of the bank accounts of Elon Musk’s X in the country after the social media platform agreed to pay more than $5 million in fines.
The ruling by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes paves the way for the suspension of X to be lifted in Brazil, where it has been off-limits to users since August 31 in a standoff over disinformation between the judge and Musk.
Moraes ordered X shut down in Latin America’s biggest country after Musk refused to remove dozens of right-wing accounts and then failed to name a new legal representative in the country as ordered.
In his latest decision, the judge ordered Brazil’s central bank to unblock X’s bank accounts so it can receive transfers and “immediately make payment of the fines indicated.”
X had informed the court it would pay fines to the tune of some $5.2 million, according to the ruling.
High-profile judge Moraes has been engaged in a long feud with Tesla and SpaceX owner Musk as part of his drive to crack down on disinformation in Brazil.
The clash between the Brazilian court and the billionaire has morphed into a high-stakes tussle testing the limits of both freedom of expression and corporate responsibility in South America’s largest country.
X had more than 22 million users in Brazil before the ban, which was put into place on August 31.
The company has in the last week started complying with the Brazilian court’s conditions to get reactivated.
Musk has repeatedly hit out at Moraes in social media posts, calling him an “evil dictator” and dubbing him “Voldemort” after the villain from the “Harry Potter” series.


Walz, Vance argue running mates would reduce Mideast instability

Walz, Vance argue running mates would reduce Mideast instability
Updated 17 min 44 sec ago
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Walz, Vance argue running mates would reduce Mideast instability

Walz, Vance argue running mates would reduce Mideast instability
  • The role of a presidential running mate is typically to serve as an attack dog for the person at the top of the ticket, arguing against the opposing presidential candidate and their proxy on stage

NEW YORK: Tim Walz and JD Vance on Tuesday each pointed to the crises of the day as reasons for voters to choose their respective running mates for president, opening their vice presidential debate by addressing the growing fears of a regional war in the Middle East and a natural disaster that has ravaged the southeastern US
Walz, answering a question on whether he’d support a preemptive strike on Iran as it’s launched missiles into Israel, quickly pivoted to painting Donald Trump as too dangerous for the country and the world in an unstable moment.
“What’s fundamental here is that steady leadership is going to matter,” said Walz, the Democratic governor of Minnesota. “And the world saw it on that debate stage a few weeks ago, a nearly 80-year-old Donald Trump talking about crowd sizes is not what we need in this moment.”
Vance, in his reply, argued that Trump is an intimidating figure whose presence on the international stage is its own deterrent.
“Donald Trump actually delivered stability,” he said.
The debate in New York hosted by CBS News opened with a sober tone that reflected growing domestic and international concerns about safety and security. It gives Vance, a Republican freshman senator from Ohio, and Walz, a two-term Democratic governor of Minnesota, the chance to introduce themselves, make the case for their running mates, and go on the attack against the opposing ticket.
Both men found unity on Hurricane Helene, which has devastated several states and caused massive flooding in North Carolina in particular. Walz mentioned the storm’s devastation and talked about working with governors across the country, saying they don’t let politics get in the way of collaborating.
Vance said, “I’m sure Gov. Walz joins me in saying our hearts go out to those innocent people.”
Tuesday’s matchup could have an outsized impact. Polls have shown Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump locked in a close contest, giving added weight to anything that can sway voters on the margins, including the impression left by the vice presidential candidates. It also might be the last debate of the campaign, with the Harris and Trump teams failing to agree on another meeting.
The role of a presidential running mate is typically to serve as an attack dog for the person at the top of the ticket, arguing against the opposing presidential candidate and their proxy on stage. Both Vance and Walz have embraced that role.
Vance’s occasionally confrontational news interviews and appearances on the campaign trail have underscored why Trump picked him for the Republican ticket despite his past biting criticisms of the former president, including once suggesting Trump would be “America’s Hitler.”
Walz, meanwhile, catapulted onto Harris’ campaign by branding Trump and Republicans as ” just weird,” creating an attack line for Democrats seeking to argue Republicans are disconnected from the American people.
A new AP-NORC poll found that Walz is better liked than Vance, potentially giving the Republican an added challenge.
After a Harris-Trump debate in which Republicans complained about the ABC News moderators fact-checking Trump, Tuesday’s debate will not feature any corrections from the hosts. CBS News said the onus for pointing out misstatements will be on the candidates, with moderators “facilitating those opportunities.”
Trump, on Tuesday evening, said his advice to Vance was to “have a lot of fun” and praised his running mate as a “smart guy” and “a real warrior.”
As they’ve campaigned, both Walz and Vance have played up their roots in small towns in middle America, broadening the appeal of Harris and Trump, who hail from California and New York, respectively.
Walz, 60, frequently invokes his past job coaching a high school football team as he speaks about his campaign with Harris bringing “joy” back to politics and weds his critiques of the GOP to a message to Democrats that they need to “leave it all on the field.”
Walz, a Nebraska native, was a geography teacher before he was elected to Congress in 2006. He spent a dozen years there before he was elected governor in 2018, winning a second term four years later.
He also served 24 years in the Army National Guard before retiring in 2005. His exit and description of his service have drawn harsh criticism from Vance, who served in the Marine Corps, including in Iraq.
The 40-year-old Vance became nationally known in 2016 with the publication of his memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy,” which recounts his childhood in Ohio and his family’s roots in rural Kentucky. The book was cited frequently after Trump’s 2016 win as a window into working-class white voters who supported his campaign. Vance went to Yale Law School before working as a venture capitalist in Silicon Valley.
After the publication of his book, he was a prominent critic of Trump’s before he morphed into a staunch defender of the former president, especially on issues like trade, foreign policy and immigration.
 

 


Australia police seek to ban pro-Palestine protests on Oct 6-7

Australia police seek to ban pro-Palestine protests on Oct 6-7
Updated 02 October 2024
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Australia police seek to ban pro-Palestine protests on Oct 6-7

Australia police seek to ban pro-Palestine protests on Oct 6-7
  • Australia has seen a rise in hate incidents following the Israel-Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned public displays of terror group symbols

SYDNEY: Australian police have sought to block a pro-Palestine rally in Sydney on Oct. 6 and 7, one year since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza after a deadly attack by Palestinian Hamas militants.
The war has killed tens of thousands of people and caused a humanitarian crisis in the Middle East.
Police held talks with the organizers of the rally but said they were not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely, and would approach the court for a ban, New South Wales state police said in a statement late on Tuesday.
“The first priority ... is the safety of the participants and the wider community,” police said.
Tensions in the Middle East escalated on Tuesday after Iran fired dozens of ballistic missiles on Israel in retaliation for Israel’s air and ground campaign against the Hezbollah, a Lebanese militant group backed by Tehran. Israel has vowed a “painful response.”
The Palestine Action Group Sydney said on Facebook the move by the police to ban protests was an attack on fundamental democratic rights.
“We have a right to demonstrate ... the Palestine Action Group unequivocally opposes this attempt to silence protests,” it said.
Protests in Melbourne over the weekend saw some displaying flags with the symbol of Hezbollah and photos of leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Israeli strikes last week, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
Hezbollah is a “listed terrorist organization” in Australia and it is an offense for any Australian to provide it with financial support or fight in its ranks.
Australia has seen a rise in hate incidents following the Israel-Gaza war and passed laws last year that banned public displays of terror group symbols.
An anti-war protest outside a defense exhibition in Melbourne last month turned violent injuring two dozen officers as police used sponge grenades, flash-bang devices and irritant sprays to control parts of the crowd that turned hostile at times.


Kamala Harris calls Iran a destabilizing force in Middle East

Kamala Harris calls Iran a destabilizing force in Middle East
Updated 02 October 2024
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Kamala Harris calls Iran a destabilizing force in Middle East

Kamala Harris calls Iran a destabilizing force in Middle East
  • Israel has escalated its military campaign in Lebanon in recent days, killing hundreds and displacing more than a million due to operations that Israel says are targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants

WASHINGTON: US Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, said on Tuesday that Iran was a “dangerous” and “destabilizing” force in the Middle East and Washington was committed to Israel’s security.

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The comments from Harris, who faces Republican former President Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 US election, came hours after Iran fired ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, drawing vows of a sharp response from Israel and the US
No injuries were reported in Israel and Washington called Iran’s attack ineffective.

KEY QUOTES
“I’m clear-eyed Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East,” Harris said. “I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran and Iran-backed terrorist militias.”
“I fully support President (Joe) Biden’s order for the US military to shoot down Iranian missiles targeting Israel,” Harris said. “Initial indications are that Israel, with our assistance, was able to defeat this attack.”
Harris added that Washington will work with its allies to disrupt what she called Iran’s “aggressive behavior.”

CONTEXT
Israel has escalated its military campaign in Lebanon in recent days, killing hundreds and displacing more than a million due to operations that Israel says are targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon is in addition to its war in Gaza that followed a deadly Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas militants. Israeli’s military assault on Gaza has killed tens of thousands according to Palestinian health authorities, displaced nearly everyone there, caused a hunger crisis and prompted genocide allegations that Israel denies.

 


Britain committed to Israel’s security, PM Starmer tells Netanyahu

Britain committed to Israel’s security, PM Starmer tells Netanyahu
Updated 01 October 2024
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Britain committed to Israel’s security, PM Starmer tells Netanyahu

Britain committed to Israel’s security, PM Starmer tells Netanyahu
  • Starmer condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, which began during the leaders’ conversation, in the “strongest terms,” the spokesperson added

LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has expressed to Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday his country’s “steadfast commitment” to Israeli security and protection of civilians after Iran’s missile attack.
A spokesperson for Starmer’s office said the prime minister spoke with Netanyahu on Tuesday afternoon, and the leaders discussed the escalating situation across the Middle East.
Starmer condemned Iran’s attack on Israel, which began during the leaders’ conversation, in the “strongest terms,” the spokesperson added.
Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon, and Israel vowed a “painful response” against its enemy.
Alarms sounded across Israel and explosions could be heard in Jerusalem and the Jordan River valley after Israelis piled into bomb shelters. Reuters journalists saw missiles intercepted in the airspace of neighboring Jordan.
Starmer also spoke with Jordan’s King Abdullah, and they underscored the urgent need for a ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza.
“The prime minister said he will work alongside partners and do everything possible to push for de-escalation and push for a diplomatic solution,” the spokesperson said.