Accused 9/11 architect could avoid US death penalty under plea deal proposal

Families informed that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed prosecution, troubled by long delays, could end with pre-trial agreement

The suspected architect of the September 11 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 a year and a half after military prosecutors and defense lawyers began exploring a negotiated resolution to the case.