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“U.N. experts say the predominant view among member nations is that the leadership of al-Qaida has passed to Sayf al-’Adl, who was responsible for Osama bin Laden’s security and trained some of the hijackers involved in the 9/11 attack on the U.S.

The panel of experts said in a report to the U.N. Security Council circulated Monday [2/13/2023] that no announcement has been made of Sayf al-’Adl replacing Ayman al-Zawahri, who was killed by a U.S. drone strike in Kabul last August.

‘But in discussions in November and December many U.N. member states took the view that Sayf al-’Adl is already operating as the de facto and uncontested leader of the group,’ the report says.”

– UN Report: Sayf al-’Adl Widely Seen as New al-Qaeda Leader,” abcnews.go.com, February 13, 2023

“Victims of the 9/11 attacks are not entitled to seize $3.5bn (£2.9bn) in assets belonging to Afghanistan’s central bank, a US judge has ruled.

Lawyers pursuing the compensation argued these funds could satisfy court judgments they had obtained against Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban.

At the time of the attacks in 2001, the Taliban had allowed al-Qaeda militants to operate from Afghanistan.

The suicide plane attacks on America claimed 2,977 lives.

Judge George Daniels said he was ‘constitutionally restrained’ from approving access to the funds, which are frozen in the US, as this would amount to a ruling that the Taliban were Afghanistan’s legitimate government.

He noted that the Biden administration did not recognise the Taliban, which meant US courts did not have the power to do so either. …

‘The judgment creditors are entitled to collect on their default judgments and be made whole for the worst terrorist attack in our nation’s history, but they cannot do so with the funds of the central bank of Afghanistan,’ Judge Daniels wrote in his 30-page judgement.

‘The Taliban, not the former Islamic Republic of Afghanistan or the Afghan people, must pay for the Taliban’s liability in the 9/11 attacks,’ he added. …

The judge’s ruling is a defeat for those who had claimed some of the $7bn of Afghanistan’s central bank funds frozen at the Federal Reserve Bank in New York.

‘This decision deprives over 10,000 members of the 9/11 community of their right to collect compensation from the Taliban,’ said Lee Wolosky, a lawyer who argued for victims’ compensation. ‘We believe it is wrongly decided and will appeal.'”

– Mattea Bubalo, “Judge Blocks 9/11 Victims’ Claim to Afghan Assets,” bbc.com, February 22, 2023

“United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari (26, Tampa) has pleaded guilty to attempting to provide material support or resources to a designated foreign terrorist organization, namely, the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (‘ISIS’). Pursuant to the terms of his plea agreement, Al-Azhari and the United States have agreed to the imposition of a stipulated sentence of 18 years in federal prison. …

According to the plea agreement, Al-Azhari is a United States citizen who spent most of his life abroad and came to embrace dogmatic, Islamist/Salafist beliefs. In or around 2015, Al-Azhari was convicted of advocating for Jaysh al-Islam, an armed Islamist group then participating in the Syrian conflict, in Saudi Arabia. Al-Azhari spent approximately three years in Saudi Arabian custody, after which he was removed to the United States. …

In or around April 2020, Al-Azhari began planning to carry out an attack in support of ISIS.  …

Between late April and May 2020, Al-Azhari also had multiple interactions with an FBI undercover employee (‘UC-1’) and a confidential human source (‘CHS-1’), during which Al-Azhari tried to buy guns from the UC-1, including a fully automatic rifle,… Al-Azhari … asked CHS-1 to obtain a Glock pistol and an unregistered silencer for him. Agents arrested Al-Azhari when he took possession of the gun and silencer on May 24, 2020.”

– U.S. Attorney’s Office, Middle District of Florida, “Tampa Man Pleads Guilty to Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” justice.gov, February 24, 2023

Editor’s Note: Al-Azhari was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, in July 2023. See: Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice, “Judge Sentences Florida Man to 18 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” justice.gov, July 13, 2023

According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“The United States has repatriated two brothers to their native Pakistan after holding them for almost two decades without charges at the controversial Guantanamo Bay military prison.

Abdul Rabbani, 55, and Mohammed Rabbani, 53, were arrested by Pakistani authorities in their home city of Karachi in 2002 before swiftly being transferred to U.S. custody for allegedly operating al-Qaida safe houses.

The U.S. Defense Department on Thursday announced the repatriation of the brothers, who were never charged with a crime, to Pakistan, saying their detention was ‘no longer necessary to protect against a continuing significant threat to the security of the United States.’ …

Another Pakistani detainee, Majid Khan, who confessed to his role as an al-Qaida courier, was transferred from Guantanamo and resettled in Belize earlier this month after completing his sentence.

Khan, 42, was held in the detention facility for about 15 years. He was sentenced in 2021 to 10 years, with credit for the years he spent cooperating with his American interrogators.

Last October, the United States released the oldest prisoner at Guantanamo, identified as Pakistani national Saifullah Paracha, and transferred him to his home country.

Paracha, 75, had been held at the detention center since 2003 on suspicion of being tied to al-Qaida but he was never charged with a crime. …

The Pentagon on Thursday noted there are 32 detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay, 18 of whom are eligible for transfer, nine defendants in military-run tribunals, and two others convicted.”

– Ayaz Gul, “US Returns Pakistani Brothers Held for Almost 20 Years at Guantanamo Bay,” voanews.com, February 24, 2023

“A bipartisan plan to fill a funding gap for people sickened by toxins released in the 2001 terror attacks was rolled out Tuesday [2/28/20/23]  by lawmakers hoping to deal with the money shortfall before it becomes a crisis.

The bill — meant to cover shortfalls the World Trade Center Health Program is expected to face starting around 2027 — aims to fix a funding formula that has not kept up as higher enrollment and costs surged more than lawmakers expected when the program was made permanent in 2015. …

The laws enacting the program failed to adequately estimate the numbers of people who would apply, the increasing severity of cancer afflicting tens of thousands, and spiking inflation, its proponents say. There are more than 125,000 people in the program, including more than 25,000 diagnosed with cancer.

Democrats who controlled both houses of Congress last year failed to advance a bill to fix the problem, forcing Schumer and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) to scramble to add $1 billion to a year-end funding bill at the last minute. That money covers the program’s shortfall until about 2027.

The new bill unveiled Tuesday aims to cure the problem permanently.”

– Michael McAuliff, “NY Lawmakers – Republicans and Democrats – Unveil Bill to Close Funding Shortfall in 9/11 Health Program,” nydailynews.com, February 28, 2023

“Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., and New York City Police Commissioner Keechant L. Sewell today [3/23/2023] announced the sentencing of TREVOR WILLIAM FORREST, a/k/a ‘SHAIKH ABDULLAH FAISAL,’ a/k/a ‘SHAIKH FAISAL,’ 59, for recruiting, soliciting, and inspiring students and followers to pledge allegiance to, travel to, join and commit acts of terrorism on behalf of the Islamic State, a/k/a ‘ISIS’ or ‘ISIL.’ Faisal is sentenced to 18 years in state prison. …

Following a two-month long trial in New York State Supreme Court, FAISAL was convicted on all counts on January 26, 2023, after two hours of deliberation. …

As proven in the first-ever New York State terrorism trial, FAISAL used his public profile and personal network as the top English-speaking recruiter for ISIS to solicit and provide material support for the Islamic State’s acts of violence and terrorism against others through:

– violent jihadist advocacy and ISIS recruitment through different writings, speeches and recordings

– tradecraft instructions to others on how best to travel to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS and how best to avoid suspicion or arrest

– providing contact information of foreign fighters to facilitate entry into and support in ISIS regions and acceptance by ISIS partners

– strategizing with Islamic State fighters on battlefield tactics

– creating opportunities for women jihadi aspirants to meet and marry ISIS adherents

– inspiring others to commit their own violent acts in allegiance to ISIS.”

– District Attorney, New York County, “D.A. Bragg, P.C. Sewell: Radical Cleric Shaikh Faisal Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Recruiting Supporters and Facilitating Efforts to Join ISIS,” manhattanda.org, March 23, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“Abdullah el-Faisal believed every word in a speech by Osama bin Laden … and thought images of the coffins of US service members were laughable, New York prosecutors say.

They also believe the Muslim cleric is ‘one of the most influential English-speaking terrorists of our time,’ Assistant District Attorney Gary Galperin said during opening statements at Faisal’s trial on state terrorism charges.

Now, Faisal has been sentenced to 18 years in prison.

A Manhattan court sentenced him Thursday after a nearly three-month trial in which he was found guilty of five terrorism-related charges. He is the first person to be tried under New York state terror laws passed after the September 11, 2001, attacks, the district attorney’s office said.”

– Brynn Gingras and Yon Pomrenze, “First Person Tried Under New York Terror Laws Passed in Wake of 9/11 Is Sentenced to 18 Years,” cnn.com, March 23, 2023

“A U.S. citizen who moved his family to Syria to join the Islamic State terrorist group has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Emraan Ali, 55, a U.S. citizen born in Trinidad and Tobago, was sentenced Tuesday [3/27/2023] in Miami federal court, according to court records. He pleaded guilty in November to conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

According to court records, Ali moved his family from Trinidad and Tobago to Brazil, and then to Turkey and eventually Syria in March 2015. He falsely told his children that they were going on vacation but actually intended to join IS, prosecutors said.”

– Associated Press, “U.S. Citizen Gets 20 Years for Joining Islamic State Group,” abcnews.go.com, April 2, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“The Senate voted Wednesday [3/29/2023] to repeal authorizations for the use of military force against Iraq [AUMF],  a significant moment as lawmakers aim to reassert authority in military intervention abroad.

The legislation now goes to the US House of Representatives for a vote. Speaker Kevin McCarthy has signaled support for it and said it would likely be brought to the floor. With bipartisan support for the repeal, the measure appears to have a good chance of passing the chambers, though it’s still unclear if lawmakers will try to amend it.

The vote comes on the heels of the 20th anniversary of the US invasion of Iraq.

The White House said it supports the measure to repeal the 1991 and 2002 authorizations for use of force in Iraq. If it passes both chambers, it would mark a formal conclusion to the conflicts and a symbolic reassertion of Congress’ ability to declare war.”

– Ali Zaslav, et al., “Senate Votes to Repeal Iraq War Power Authorizations, 20 Years After Us Invasion,” cnn.com, March 29, 2023

“There are new calls to make Sept. 11 a federal holiday.

Three Hudson Valley congressmen, from both sides of the aisle, have introduced the September 11th Day of Remembrance Act.

Rep. Mike Lawler (R) says he wants to make 9/11 a federal holiday to ensure we never forget the day’s impact and consequences.

Rep. Pat Ryan says he was in his second year at West Point that day when all cadets swore to never forget the heroes lost.

And Rep. Anthony D’Esposito (R) says he served as an NYPD detective in the years after 9/11 and continues to see the long term ramifications on first responders and survivors.”

– News 12 Staff, “Lawmakers Introduce Act To Make 9/11 a Federal Holiday,” longisland.news12.com, March 30, 2023

“The U.S. has transferred a Guantanamo detainee back to his home country of Algeria, saying his continued detention was no longer necessary, the Department of Defense announced Thursday [4/20/2023]. 

Said bin Brahim bin Umran Bakush was captured in Pakistan in 2002 during an aggressive campaign by the U.S. to apprehend persons suspected of supporting terrorism following the 9/11 attacks. Last year a review board found that his continued detention at the Guantanamo Bay detention center was no longer necessary and ‘he could be safely transferred, noting his lack of any leadership role in al Qaeda,’ Amnesty International said. …

With his release, 30 detainees remain at Guantanamo. Of those 30 detainees, 16 are eligible for transfer; three are eligible for a review board assessment to see if they are also eligible for transfer; nine are involved in the military commissions process; and two detainees have been convicted in military commissions.”

– Tara Copp, “US Transfers Guantanamo Detainee to Algeria,” news.yahoo.com, April 20, 2023

“From the first weeks after the 9/11 attacks, suspicions about a possible Saudi government role in the plot have focused on a mysterious, 42-year-old graduate student who welcomed the first two Qaida hijackers after they landed in Los Angeles in January 2000.

The Saudi student, Omar al-Bayoumi, claimed to have met the two terrorists entirely by chance; he said he was just being hospitable when he helped them settle in San Diego. Both the FBI and the 9/11 Commission supported Bayoumi’s account, dismissing the suspicions of agents who thought he might be a Saudi spy.

After nearly 20 years, however, the FBI has changed its story. In documents declassified last year [2022], the bureau affirmed that Bayoumi was in fact an agent of the Saudi intelligence service who worked with Saudi religious officials and reported to the kingdom’s powerful ambassador in Washington.

Those revelations have now become a central point of contention in a long-running federal lawsuit in New York, where 9/11 survivors and relatives of the 2,977 people who were killed are seeking to hold the Saudi government responsible for the attacks.

Lawyers for the families argue that the new evidence so contradicts earlier Saudi claims that they should be allowed to seek new information from the country’s intelligence service about Bayoumi and another official who reportedly aided the hijackers, Fahad al-Thumairy.

‘Saudi Arabia has a duty to tell the truth about the intelligence roles of Bayoumi and Thumairy based on its actual, complete knowledge,’ the plaintiffs wrote in a motion this month [April 2023].

The federal magistrate who is managing discovery in the case, Sarah Netburn, has so far sided with the Saudis, finding ‘no compelling reason’ to reopen the document search or order new interviews with Saudi officials. The families’ lawyers have asked the judge overseeing the case, George B. Daniels, to overrule her.”

– Tim Golden, “Focus of 9/11 Families’ Lawsuit Against Saudi Arabia Turns to a Saudi Student Who May Have Been a Spy,” propublica.org, April 27, 2023

“Turkish forces have killed the suspected leader of the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has announced.

Abu Hussein al-Qurayshi is said to have taken over the group after his predecessor was killed last autumn.

Mr Erdogan told broadcaster TRT Turk the IS leader was ‘neutralised’ in a Turkish MIT intelligence agency operation on Saturday [4/29/2023]. 

IS has so far made no comment on the reported operation.

The BBC has been unable to independently verify President Erdogan’s claim.”

–  BBC News, “Suspected Islamic State Chief Qurayshi Killed in Syria, Turkey Says,” bbc.com, May 1, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“Florida is establishing September 11th as ‘9/11 Heroes’ Day’ to honor those who gave their lives for our freedom. 

Our middle and high school students, who were not alive during this time, will be required to have 45 minutes of instruction to learn about the attack on our country and those who gave their lives to save others.”

– Ron DeSantis via Twitter.com, May 9, 2023

“Damian Williams, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Merrick B. Garland, the Attorney General of the United States, and Christopher A. Wray, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (‘FBI’), announced today [5/17/2023] that United States District Judge Vernon S. Broderick sentenced SAYFULLO SAIPOV to eight consecutive life sentences, two concurrent life sentences, and a consecutive sentence of 260 years in prison for carrying out a terrorist attack on October 31, 2017, in the name of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (‘ISIS’), in which SAIPOV used a truck to murder eight victims and injure many more on a bike path in lower Manhattan.

On January 26, 2023, a jury convicted SAIPOV of all 28 counts in the Indictment, which charged SAIPOV with murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); assault with a dangerous weapon and attempted murder for the purpose of gaining entrance to a racketeering enterprise (ISIS); providing material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization (ISIS) resulting in death; and damage and destruction to a motor vehicle resulting in death. On March 13, 2023, the same jury was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on whether Saipov should be sentenced to death, resulting in a mandatory sentence of life in prison.”

– United States Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York, “Judge Imposes Eight Consecutive Life Sentences Plus 260 Years in Prison for 2017 Murder of Eight Victims and Attempted Murder of 18 Others in NYC ISIS Truck Attack,” justice.gov, May 17, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“At least 4.5 million people died in post-9/11 warzones, a number that continues to grow after more than two decades, according to a new report from Brown University. 

The vast majority of those deaths, in the range of 3.6 to 3.7 million, can be accredited to “indirect deaths,” or non-combat deaths, researchers with the university’s Costs of War project concluded.

Despite the staggering tally, those numbers are likely a significant undercount, the report, which is titled “How Death Outlives War,” concludes. …

Across wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya, children — particularly those under five years old — are the most vulnerable to indirect deaths, typically from malnutrition and disease.”

– Joseph Konig, “Report: 4.5 Million Deaths and Counting in Post-9/11 Warzones,” ny1.com, May 17, 2023

“A group representing the families of 9/11 victims said on Tuesday [6/6/2023] that they were ‘shocked and deeply offended’ by the newly announced merger between the PGA Tour and its Saudi-backed competitor LIV Golf.

The group, 9/11 Families United, has repeatedly voiced its opposition to LIV Golf over its ties to Saudi Arabia, which has long faced accusations of assisting the terrorists who committed the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

‘Saudi operatives played a role in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and now it is bankrolling all of professional golf,’ Chair Terry Strada said in a statement.

The PGA Tour announced on Tuesday that it would merge with the upstart rival league to form one larger golf organization.”

– Julia Shapero, “9/11 Families ‘Deeply Offended’ By PGA Tour, LIV Golf Merger,” thehill.com, June 6, 2023

“A Houston man was sentenced today [6/29/2023] to 165 months, the equivalent of 13 years and nine months, in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Kaan Sercan Damlarkaya, 23, attempted to join and support ISIS from August 2017 until his arrest in December 2017. He pleaded guilty July 8, 2019. In addition to wanting to join ISIS, Damlarkaya also provided information to ISIS supporters about the use of machetes, homemade construction of an automatic weapon and how to build and use explosive materials.”

– Office of Public Affairs, Department of Justice, “Texas Man Sentenced to Over 13 Years for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” justice.gov, June 29, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“Muhammed Momtaz Al-Azhari, 26, of Tampa, Florida, was sentenced to 18 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release, for attempting to provide material support to a designated foreign terrorist organization.

According to court documents, Al-Azhari pleaded guilty to the charge in February 2023. Al-Azhari is a United States citizen who spent most of his life abroad and came to embrace dogmatic, Islamist/Salafist beliefs. In 2018, Al-Azhari was released from prison in Saudi Arabia following a conviction and sentence for supporting terrorism in Syria, after which he was removed to the United States.

Upon Al-Azhari’s arrival to the United States in or around December 2018, the FBI began investigating him for potentially providing material support to ISIS, which, at all relevant times, was designated as a foreign terrorist organization under federal law.”

– Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice, “Judge Sentences Florida Man to 18 Years in Prison for Attempting to Provide Material Support to ISIS,” justice.gov, July 13, 2023

“A New York man was sentenced today [7/14/2023] to life in prison on one count of conspiracy to provide material support to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS) and five substantive counts of providing material support to ISIS in the forms of personnel, including himself, Australian citizen Jake Bilardi and others, as well as services, weapons, property and equipment, and false documentation and identification, all between January 2013 and June 2017, when the defendant was arrested in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

According to court documents, Mirsad Kandic, 41, of Brooklyn and Kosovo, was convicted by a federal jury in May 2022 following a three-week trial in Brooklyn. … Kandic was a prolific recruiter of foreign fighters for ISIS. He sent thousands of radicalized ISIS volunteer fighters from Western countries into ISIS-controlled territories in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East.”

– Office of Public Affairs, US Department of Justice, “High-Level Member of ISIS Sentenced to Life in Prison for Material Support to a Foreign Terrorist Organization Resulting in Death,” justice.gov, July 14, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“The U.S. post-9/11 wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen, Syria, and Pakistan have taken a tremendous human toll on those countries. As of September 2021, an estimated 432,093 civilians in these countries have died violent deaths as a result of the wars. As of May 2023, an estimated 3.6-3.8 million people have died indirectly in post-9/11 war zones. The total death toll in these war zones could be at least 4.5-4.7 million and counting, though the precise mortality figure remains unknown. Civilian deaths have also resulted from U.S. post-9/11 military operations in Somalia and other countries.”

– Costs of War Project, “Civilians Killed & Wounded,” watson.brown.edu, last updated August 2023

“Islamic State on Thursday [8/3/2023] confirmed the death of its leader, Abu Hussein al-Husseini al-Quraishi, and named Abu Hafs al-Hashimi al-Quraishi as his replacement, the group’s spokesperson said in an undated recording published on its Telegram channel.

It appeared to be the militant group’s first official announcement on his fate since Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said in April that Turkish intelligence forces had killed him in Syria.

Islamic State, a shadow of the organization that once ruled a third of Iraq and Syria, gave no details about the new leader.”

– Voice of America, “Islamic State Confirms Death of Its Leaders, Names Replacement,” voanews.com, August 3, 2023

“The suspected architect of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and his fellow defendants may never face the death penalty under plea agreements now under consideration to bring an end to their more than decade long prosecution, the Pentagon and FBI have advised families of some of the thousands killed.

The notice, made in a letter that was sent to several of the families and obtained by The Associated Press, comes 1 ½ years after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case.

The prosecution of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others held at the U.S. detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody. No trial date has been set. …

The letter, dated Aug. 1, was received by at least some of the family members only this week [starting 8/14/2023]. It asks them to respond by Monday to the FBI’s victim services division with any comments or questions about the possibility of such a plea agreement. The FBI had no comment Wednesday on the letter.”

-The Associated Press, “9/11 Defendants Might Not Face the Death Penalty, US Tells Families,” nbcnews.com, August 16, 2023

“One of the men accused of plotting the 9/11 terror attacks isn’t mentally competent to stand trial or assist lawyers in his defence in a capital proceeding at the Guantánamo Bay military prison, a government medical board found.

Ramzi bin al-Shibh’s case has been running since 2008.

He’s accused of organising the terror plot’s Hamburg, Germany, cell, researching US flight schools, wiring money to some of the 19 primary 9/11 hijackers, and reporting information to Al Qaeda’s leaders in Afghanistan.

In April, a military judge in the case ordered three mental health experts to investigate the man’s condition, as US officials prosecute him alongside 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and three others.

A military medical board filed a report under seal on Friday [8/25/2023], which suggested that Mr bin al-Shibh has post-traumatic stress disorder with ‘psychotic features,’ three individuals who saw the report told The New York Times.

The findings could convince Col Matthew N McCall, the judge overseeing the case, to sever bin al-Shibh from the proceedings and try him separately from the other four alleged plotters.

Mr bin al-Shibh’s lawyers have alleged the man was harassed with noises, vibrations, and other de-stabilising techniques while in US custody. …

Mr bin al-Shibh was captured in Karachi in September 2002 and claims he was tortured in custody in captivity in US-affiliated facilities in Afghanistan, Jordan, Poland, and Romania,… He entered Guantánamo in 2006.”

– Josh Marcus, “Accused 9/11 Plotter Ramzi Bin Al-Shibh Isn’t Fit for Guantanamo Trial Because of Mental Illness, Board Finds,” independent.co.uk, August 26, 2023 

“A Pakistani doctor and former Mayo Clinic research coordinator who sought to join the Islamic State terrorist group to fight in Syria and expressed interest in carrying out attacks on U.S. soil was sentenced Friday [8/25/2023] to 18 years in prison.

Muhammad Masood, 31, pleaded guilty a year ago to attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization. Prosecutors said he attempted unsuccessfully to travel from the U.S. to Syria via Jordan in 2020, then agreed to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles to meet up with someone he thought would help him travel by cargo ship to IS territory.

But FBI agents arrested him at the Minneapolis airport on March 19, 2020, after he checked in for his flight.”

– Steve Karnowski, “Pakistani Doctor Who Sought to Support Islamic State Terror Group Sentenced in Minnesota to 18 Years,” apnews.com, August 25, 2023

Editor’s Note: According to most historians of the Islamic State (also referred to as ISIS, ISIL, and Daesh), “the group emerged out of al-Qaeda in Iraq as a response to the U.S. invasion in 2003.” See Hassan Hassan, “The True Origins of ISIS,” theatlantic.com, November 30, 2018, for more information.

“A proposal to allow alleged perpetrators of the 9/11 attacks to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty poses a powerful dilemma for victims’ families, some of whom still want to seek the ultimate retribution after two decades of legal limbo. …

For some families of those killed in New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and in Pennsylvania say a deal without a trial could mean the entire truth about what happened on September 11, 2001 might never be told.

Others say that every year of delay means that more people pass away without seeing justice for their slain relatives — and increases the risk that the aging defendants themselves could die without ever being found guilty.

‘All 9/11 family members want justice and accountability. Too many of us have died in the last two decades without either,’ said September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, which backs the plea deal.

‘Plea agreements, which could be made right now, would offer finality: an end to the 9/11 military commission, clear admissions of guilt, and life sentences without parole or any possibility of appeal,’ they said.

But Dennis McGinley of the group 9/11 Justice said the deal would leave untold the full story behind the attack that killed his brother Danny in the south tower of the World Trade Center.

‘All this is, is… to prevent a trial from taking place where Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is going to have to spill the beans,’ he said, referring to the self-described 9/11 mastermind also known as ‘KSM.’”

– France 24, “US Plea Proposal for 9/11 Suspects Splits Victims’ Relatives,” france24.com, August 27, 2023

“President Joe Biden has refused to approve some of the conditions that lawyers for the defendants in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks had sought in a possible plea bargain, ruling out a presidential guarantee that the five men would be spared solitary confinement and provided care for the trauma of their torture in CIA custody, a White House National Security Council official said Wednesday [9/6/2023].

Biden’s refusal on the plea-bargain guarantees leaves it to military prosecutors and defense lawyers to try to hash out an agreement on a plea bargain. The terms under discussion would have the five Guantanamo detainees plead guilty and serve life sentences in exchange for being spared the death penalty.

Lawyers for the two sides have been exploring a negotiated resolution to the case for about 1 1/2 years. They had been waiting for about a year of that time to see if Biden would express opposition or support for some of the conditions that defense lawyers had been seeking.

Biden agreed with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s recommendation not to accept the proposed terms as a basis for plea negotiations, according to the National Security Council official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.”

– Aamer Madhani and Ellen Knickmeyer, “Biden Refuses To Grant Some of the Conditions That 9/11 Defendants Were Seeking in Plea Negotiations,” apnews.com, September 6, 2023

“New York City officials have identified two more victims of the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Center, just days before the 22nd memorial anniversary of the attacks.

The man and woman identified are the 1,648th and 1,649th victims identified by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, according to a news release from the mayor’s office. The two were identified through advanced DNA testing of their remains, says the release. …

These are the first identifications since September 2021, according to the release.

The man was identified through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001 and the woman through DNA testing of remains recovered in 2001, 2006, and 2013, says the release.

The techniques used to make these identifications over two decades later ‘include recently adopted next-generation sequencing technology — more sensitive and rapid than conventional DNA techniques — which has been used by the U.S. military to identify the remains of missing American servicemembers,’ says the news release.

Despite these advancements in DNA technology, roughly 40% of the victims, or about 1,100 people thought to have died in the disaster, remain unidentified. A total of 2,753 people were reported missing in lower Manhattan after the attacks on the World Trade Center. Death certificates were issued for all 2,753, although the work to match the names of victims with remains from the site continues.”

– Kristina Sgueglia and Zoe Sottile, “Two New 9/11 Victims Identified, The First Identifications in Two Years,” cnn.com, September 8, 2023

“A military judge at Guantánamo Bay has ruled a 9/11 defendant incompetent to stand trial after a military medical panel found that the man’s sustained abuse in CIA custody years earlier had rendered him lastingly psychotic.

A Guantánamo military commission spokesperson, Ronald Flesvig, confirmed on Friday [9/22/2023] the ruling by Judge Col Matthew McCall. The ruling means Ramzi bin al-Shibh will not be tried together with his four 9/11 co-defendants, whose case will now proceed without him.

A Yemeni, al-Shibh is accused of organizing one cell of the 19 hijackers who carried out the 11 September 2001 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.”

– Associated Press, “Judge Rules 9/11 Defendant Unfit for Trial After CIA Torture Made Him Psychotic,” theguardian.com, September 22, 2023

“The number of first responders from the New York City Fire Department who have died from 9/11-related illnesses has reached 343, matching the number who lost their lives on the day of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Two more members of the FDNY died this September from 9/11-related illnesses, shortly after the 22nd anniversary of the World Trade Center attacks, according to a statement on social media from the fire department.”

– Maria Sole Campinoti, “FDNY First Responder Deaths from 9/11-related Diseases Now Equal FDNY Deaths from Attacks,” cnn.com, September 24, 2023

“Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ‘voluntarily’ admitted to an FBI agent that the plan had been to hit the White House or the Capitol as well as the Twin Towers and the Pentagon.

The ‘confession’ by the man said to have been the operations director of al-Qaeda was given during an interrogation in 2007 at the Guantanamo Bay detention centre in Cuba, Frank Pellegrino, a retired FBI agent, told the latest pre-trial hearing for Mohammed and the other 9/11 accused. A date has not been set for the full trial.

‘When we went in to speak to him, we were very comfortable that he was speaking to us voluntarily, given every opportunity to walk away.’ Pellegrino [said].”

– Michael Evans, “9/11 Suspect ‘Admitted White House was Fourth Target’,” times.co.uk, September 28, 2023

“Today [12/7/2023], Congressman Andrew R. Garbarino (R-NY-02) released a statement following the finalization of the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) which includes much needed funding to address the shortfall in the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP). Specifically, this legislation will provide $444 million to address the WTCHP funding gap and $232 million to extend coverage for military and civilian 9/11 responders at the Pentagon and Shanksville, PA.

‘I am incredibly proud of the work Senator Gillibrand and I did to ensure $676 million in funding for the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) was included in the final version of this year’s National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA),’ said Rep. Garbarino. ‘This funding will go a long way towards addressing the impending shortfall and ensuring that, in addition to those at Ground Zero, all survivors and first responders who ran towards danger at the Pentagon and in Shanksville receive the care that they deserve. I thank Speaker Mike Johnson for keeping the promise he made to me to stand behind our 9/11 first responders and survivors. Speaker Johnson upheld his commitment and worked closely with me to make certain the proposed funding amount was included. I, along with Congressman D’Esposito who is a critical partner in working to address the shortfall, will continue to fight for all those impacted by 9/11-related illnesses. We will not rest until the WTCHP is fully funded for all who need it.'”

–  Andrew Garbarino, “Garbarino, Gillibrand Secure Funding For 9/11 Health Care in Annual Defense Package,” garbarino.house.gov, December 7, 2023

“A Connecticut man who pleaded guilty to planning to fight for the Islamic State group in Syria was sentenced to 12 years in prison on a terrorism charge Thursday [12/21/2023], a lighter punishment than what had been sought by prosecutors who called him a danger to society.

A judge imposed the punishment on Kevin McCormick, 30, a former Hamden resident, in federal court in Bridgeport, Connecticut, where the U.S. attorney’s office called for a 20-year prison term. Judge Kari Dooley also ordered that McCormick be placed on supervised release with GPS monitoring for the rest of his life after the time behind bars.”

– Dave Collins, “Connecticut man gets 12 years in prison for failed plan to fight for Islamic State in Syria,” seattletimes.com, December 21, 2023

“New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jason Graham on Thursday [1/18/2024] announced the identification of a victim from the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

The victim was identified as John Ballantine Niven and has become the 1,650th person to be identified since 2001 through DNA analysis, according to the mayor’s office. Officials said that the remains of 2,753 have been recovered from the attack. Around 1,103 victims remain unidentified.

Neven was 44 years old, according to WABC. He was married and had an 18-month-old child at the time.”

–  Jessica Goodman, “9/11 Victims’ Remains Identified Nearly 23 Years After 2001 Attacks,” krmg.com, January 20, 2024