9/11 Masterminds Disrupt Arraignment at Gitmo

Alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khaled Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants disrupted court proceedings Saturday during the long awaited arraignment of the terror suspects. In stark contrast to previous court appearances where he denounced the United States and took credit for 9/11, Mohammed sat in silence in the Guantanamo military courtroom, removing his headphones and refusing to answer Judge James Pohl. "One cannot refuse to participate and frustrate the proceedings," Pohl said. "The reason he's not putting the earphones in his ears is because of the torture that was done to him," Mohammed’s lawyer, David Nevin, responded. Ramzi Binalshibh, another accused 9/11 plotter, brought court to a halt when he dropped to his knees in prayer, and again later when he stood up and started shouting. Mohammed and his four co-defendants — Binalshibh, Waleed bin Attash, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi, and Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali — face charges that include 2,976 counts of murder, one for each person killed in the Sept. 11 attacks.

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