Five al-Qaida terrorists accused of involvement in the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks refused lawyers at their arraignment.
The 10-hour session held Thursday before a military tribunal at the U.S. military base at Guantanamo Bay was the first time the five defendants have been together in the five years since their capture.
Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, told the tribunal’s chief judge, Marine Col. Ralph Kohlmann, that he wanted to die as a martyr. The defendants in refusing their right to counsel said they only recognized Islamic law.
The five, who had been held in secret CIA custody, were transferred to the Cuban military prison in September 2006. Charges include murder and various counts of terrorism.
The men were indicted in May. Prosecutors have requested a September start for a trial, though it is likely many more months away.
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