Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, said to Newsmax Thursday that the revived plea deals for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants send a "terrible message" to terror groups about the United States' resolve to deal with terrorism.
"It's a terrible blow to the families," Strada told Newsmax's "Wake Up America." "We heard this earlier on New Year's Eve day, that this plea deal is going back on the table, and it's a terrible, terrible message to send to terrorist organizations around the world — that we are weak on terrorism — if we don't prosecute the detainees that are held at Guantanamo Bay.
"We need strong U.S. retaliation against terrorism any which way we can, and it doesn't always mean by putting our military at risk. There are things Congress can do, there are things the White House can do that they have failed the 9/11 community, and we need a new administration — a new president — to come into office and to allow us to move forward in holding those perpetrators that murdered our loved ones on Sept. 11."
On Monday night, a military appeals court ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's bid to throw out the plea deals for the three accused 9/11 conspirators, reviving the agreements that would have the three men plead guilty to one of the deadliest attacks on U.S. soil in exchange for being spared the death penalty.
Strada said that she hopes the incoming Trump administration and Defense Secretary-nominee Pete Hegseth, if confirmed, can explore options to finally withdraw the plea deals for good.
"That is definitely our hope, that Pete Hegseth will take a very close look at what's gone wrong down in Guantanamo Bay, because there's something that doesn't make sense that this has gone back and forth so many times," she said. "I know people have answers that they want to get to Pete and explain to him, and I have faith that Pete will take this and do the right thing by us.
"Guantanamo Bay has the detainees that planned the attacks, and then you have the 19 hijackers that carried out the attacks. The families have been trying to hold the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia accountable for the role that they played in funding al-Qaida leading up to the attacks and then funding the attacks and giving all of the logistical support for the attacks."
The 9/11 families need the Trump administration to stand with them, Strada said, because "we've never had an administration that has stood by our side and helped us push forward accountability [and] transparency."
"Look what just happened in Louisiana," she said, referring to the New Year's Day truck attack in New Orleans. "These families are in shock, and they are in so much pain, but they're going to be angry when the pain starts to subside, and they're going to want answers. And I've heard so many people saying we're going to get transparency on this one. We've never had full transparency on 9/11. Things need to change."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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