(dpa) - The US military announced Monday that it will seek the death penalty against six suspects charged with playing key roles in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Brigadier General Thomas Hartmann said charges will be filed against the admitted mastermind of the attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as Mohammed al-Qahtani who is believed to have been the "20th hijacker" and Ramzi bin al-Shibh, the alleged point of contact between the hijackers and al-Qaeda's leadership.
The defendants, held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, will face war crimes and terrorism related charges, Hartmann, the Pentagon's legal advisor, said.
The other three defendants are Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Mohammed's nephew and deputy, Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash, Hartmann said.