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Scandal, power and royalty: The Jordanian princess who fled Dubai to win the UK’s most expensive divorce

Another anniversary of 9/11 is here, but the United States has yet to convict or sentence any of those arrested alive over links to the horrific terror attacks of 2001. The 11 September 2001 terror attacks left an estimated 2,996 people dead. Of these, 2,977 were civilians and first responders, including people in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and the passengers and crew aboard the hijacked planes. The 19 terrorists who hijacked four planes died while carrying out the dastardly attacks.<h2>How the 9/11 terror attack unfolded&nbsp;</h2>American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, while United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers bravely fought the hijackers. The hijackers of this plane were believed to be targeting either the White House or the Capitol.<a href="https://www.wionews.com/videos/lashkar-operative-in-charge-of-lets-headquarters-in-muridke-neutralised-9060744//embed">https://www.wionews.com/videos/lashkar-operative-in-charge-of-lets-headquarters-in-muridke-neutralised-9060744//embed</a><h2>What is the status of the suspects caught alive after the 9/11 attacks?</h2>As the perpetrators died in the terror attacks, the investigation and arrests focused on the conspirators, planners, and facilitators. Yet, nearly a quarter-century later, there have been no convictions or sentencing. The man known as the mastermind of the attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since 2006, and his trial has been continuing sporadically for over a decade. There has never been any official talk of him being released. However, plea deals were discussed that might have ruled out the death penalty for him.9/11 terror attack legal quandary: Nobody was convicted or sentenced to deathDespite the United States having the death penalty in several states and within the military commission system, no individuals have been convicted or sentenced to death for their roles in the 11 September 2001 attacks.&nbsp; The attacks were carried out by the al-Qaeda terror group, led by Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan in 2011 in a US Marines raid.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/nasa-shares-haunting-image-of-911-attacks-captured-from-space-758080">NASA shares haunting image of 9/11 attacks captured from space</a><h2>Who are the five key people charged with orchestrating the attack?</h2>Five men have been charged with terrorism offences related to 9/11. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the alleged mastermind of the attacks. Walid bin Attash is accused of training the hijackers. Mustafa al-Hawsawi is accused of financing the operation. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, is accused of facilitating logistics and money transfers. Ramzi bin al-Shibh is accused of acting as a liaison between the hijackers and al-Qaeda leadership. All five are being tried before military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/remembering-9-11-heroes-roselle-the-guide-dog-who-led-a-blind-man-down-78-floors-1757560386032/amp">Remembering 9/11 heroes: Roselle, the guide dog who led a blind man down 78 floors</a><h2>The controversial plea agreement of the 9/11 mastermind</h2>There was widespread controversy in July 2024, when a plea agreement was proposed that would have allowed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences without parole, thereby avoiding the death penalty.&nbsp; Following public and political backlash, the then US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin rescinded the deal.&nbsp; In July 2025, a federal appeals court ruled that the plea agreements were not binding, thereby reinstating the possibility of the death penalty.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/who-is-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-the-alleged-mastermind-of-911-attacks-wholl-avoid-death-penalty-746130">Who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks who'll avoid death penalty?</a><h2>What is the current status of the 9/11 terror attack suspects?</h2>At the time of writing this, none of the accused have been convicted or sentenced, even after 24 years.&nbsp; The trials have been marred by frequent delays, legal wrangling, and disputes over evidence, particularly material obtained under torture.&nbsp; There have also been concerns about human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay. Many hearings have been cancelled or rescheduled due to changes in legal teams, mental competency issues, and disputes over classified evidence.Also read: <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/trump-admin-launches-review-of-us-troops-withdrawal-from-afghanistan-timeline-from-9-11-attack-to-end-of-20-year-war-wion-explains-1747825811137">Trump admin launches review of US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan: Timeline from 9/11 attack to end of '20-year-war' | WION Explains</a><h2>Justice delayed, justice denied: Why the 9/11 case is a stain on US legal history</h2>The 9/11 case is arguably one of the most prolonged and controversial in US legal history.&nbsp; Many families of victims are frustrated and disillusioned by the lack of justice.&nbsp; The United States used the 9/11 attacks as a justification to invade Afghanistan in 2001, but withdrew in 2021. The Taliban, originally ousted as a result of that invasion, returned to power amid the chaotic American exit.&nbsp; The global anti-terror sentiment after 9/11 was also used to invade Iraq under the false pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. He was captured, tried, and executed in 2006, even though Iraq had no role in the 9/11 attacks.&nbsp; In contrast, none of those captured alive for direct links to the 9/11 attacks have been convicted, executed, or even sentenced.&nbsp; This remains a historical irony and an enduring failure of the US approach to justice and counterterrorism. &nbsp;

24 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, no detained suspect has been convicted or sentenced despite ongoing trials at Guantanamo Bay. Victim families are frustrated and justice still unserved as it remains among the longest terror cases in the US 

Another anniversary of 9/11 is here, but the United States has yet to convict or sentence any of those arrested alive over links to the horrific terror attacks of 2001. The 11 September 2001 terror attacks left an estimated 2,996 people dead. Of these, 2,977 were civilians and first responders, including people in the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and the passengers and crew aboard the hijacked planes. The 19 terrorists who hijacked four planes died while carrying out the dastardly attacks. How the 9/11 terror attack unfolded American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Center, while United Airlines Flight 175 crashed into the South Tower. American Airlines Flight 77 crashed into the Pentagon and United Airlines Flight 93 crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers bravely fought the hijackers. The hijackers of this plane were believed to be targeting either the White House or the Capitol. https://www.wionews.com/videos/lashkar-operative-in-charge-of-lets-headquarters-in-muridke-neutralised-9060744//embed What is the status of the suspects caught alive after the 9/11 attacks? As the perpetrators died in the terror attacks, the investigation and arrests focused on the conspirators, planners, and facilitators. Yet, nearly a quarter-century later, there have been no convictions or sentencing. The man known as the mastermind of the attack, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, has been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay since 2006, and his trial has been continuing sporadically for over a decade. There has never been any official talk of him being released. However, plea deals were discussed that might have ruled out the death penalty for him. 9/11 terror attack legal quandary: Nobody was convicted or sentenced to death Despite the United States having the death penalty in several states and within the military commission system, no individuals have been convicted or sentenced to death for their roles in the 11 September 2001 attacks. The attacks were carried out by the al-Qaeda terror group, led by Osama Bin Laden, who was killed in Pakistan in 2011 in a US Marines raid. Also read: NASA shares haunting image of 9/11 attacks captured from space Who are the five key people charged with orchestrating the attack? Five men have been charged with terrorism offences related to 9/11. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is the alleged mastermind of the attacks. Walid bin Attash is accused of training the hijackers. Mustafa al-Hawsawi is accused of financing the operation. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, is accused of facilitating logistics and money transfers. Ramzi bin al-Shibh is accused of acting as a liaison between the hijackers and al-Qaeda leadership. All five are being tried before military commissions at Guantanamo Bay. Also read: Remembering 9/11 heroes: Roselle, the guide dog who led a blind man down 78 floors The controversial plea agreement of the 9/11 mastermind There was widespread controversy in July 2024, when a plea agreement was proposed that would have allowed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences without parole, thereby avoiding the death penalty. Following public and political backlash, the then US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin rescinded the deal. In July 2025, a federal appeals court ruled that the plea agreements were not binding, thereby reinstating the possibility of the death penalty. Also read: Who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks who'll avoid death penalty? What is the current status of the 9/11 terror attack suspects? At the time of writing this, none of the accused have been convicted or sentenced, even after 24 years. The trials have been marred by frequent delays, legal wrangling, and disputes over evidence, particularly material obtained under torture. There have also been concerns about human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay. Many hearings have been cancelled or rescheduled due to changes in legal teams, mental competency issues, and disputes over classified evidence. Also read: Trump admin launches review of US troops' withdrawal from Afghanistan: Timeline from 9/11 attack to end of '20-year-war' | WION Explains Justice delayed, justice denied: Why the 9/11 case is a stain on US legal history The 9/11 case is arguably one of the most prolonged and controversial in US legal history. Many families of victims are frustrated and disillusioned by the lack of justice. The United States used the 9/11 attacks as a justification to invade Afghanistan in 2001, but withdrew in 2021. The Taliban, originally ousted as a result of that invasion, returned to power amid the chaotic American exit. The global anti-terror sentiment after 9/11 was also used to invade Iraq under the false pretext that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction. He was captured, tried, and executed in 2006, even though Iraq had no role in the 9/11 attacks. In contrast, none of those captured alive for direct links to the 9/11 attacks have been convicted, executed, or even sentenced. This remains a historical irony and an enduring failure of the US approach to justice and counterterrorism.

24 years after the 9/11 terror attacks, no detained suspect has been convicted or sentenced despite ongoing trials at Guantanamo Bay. Victim families are frustrated and justice still unserved as it remains among the longest terror cases in the US&nbsp;

9/11 anniversary: Justice delayed, justice denied? How the US failed to convict or sentence any of the suspects caught after 24 years

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, has agreed to a plea deal that would see him avoid the death penalty in lieu of a life sentence, according to reports citing US prosecutors. Sheikh, usually called KSM, reached the plea deal along with two other convicts, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, while awaiting trial for the terror strikes that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001&nbsp;in New York, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. 
&nbsp;

<h2>Who is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed?</h2>

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is a Kuwaiti mechanical engineer of Pakistani origin and self-avowed jihadist, who lived and worked in a host of countries including Qatar, the US, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Sudan.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/911-mastermind-and-accomplices-reach-plea-agreement-746070">9/11 mastermind and accomplices reach plea agreement</a>

He was&nbsp;an aide of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and at one point headed the propaganda wing of the terror organisation.

<h2>Khaled Shaikh Mohammad's involvement in 9/11 terror attacks</h2>

Sheikh, also known as KSM,&nbsp;developed&nbsp;the idea of the 9/11 attacks, and was involved in its planning as well as training of several terrorists to carry it out. The plan was to ram hijacked&nbsp;planes into some of the most iconic and symbolic buildings of America: The World Trade Center, the Pentagon and possibly the White House or US Congress. Two planes hit the twin towers of&nbsp;World Trade Center on the morning rush hour of September 11, 2001. The third plane aimed for Pentagon but went down near the periphery of the defence department headquaters. A fourth plane crashed on a field in Pennsylvania after passengers bravely fought the hijackers.

<h2>Khalid Sheikh Mohammad arrest, detention, torture&nbsp;and 'confession' </h2>

Soon after the attack, a series of arrests followed, and Shaikh was one of&nbsp; those taken into custody from Pakistan's Rawalpindi, in a joint US-Pakistan intelligence operation. Many of the terror suspects arrested were eventually sent to Guantanamo Bay, a notorious US prison and detention camp off the Cuba coast, after being transferred to so-called 'rendition' or 'black' sites, where their years-long torture overshadowed the magnitude of the crimes they had perpetrated.

KSM, a portly man in his late 30s or early 40s at the time allegedly confessed to masterminding the attack. The 9/11 Commission Report&nbsp;named him the "the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks".&nbsp;

But the confessions, allegedly made in March 2007 onwards, were done under physical torture and tough interrogations that included more than 180 rounds of so-called 'waterboarding' in KSM's case. So it is not completely credible that he also confessed to other terror plots like the Richard Reid shoe bombing, the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia as well as a previous bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. He also confessed to the beheading of US Wall Streets Journal reporter&nbsp;Daniel Pearl.

He was also known to be involved in other terror plots, most notably the Bojinka plot in the Philippines to destroy several airlines, which eventually became his blueprint for the 9/11 attacks.

<h2>Khalid Sheikh Mohammad: A long-term jihadist</h2>

Sheikh was born on 14 April 1965&nbsp;in Pakistan. His family subsequently moved to Kuwait. He was radicalised as a teenager after listening to speeches of some clerics who called for jihad.&nbsp; He joined the Muslim Brotherhood while in his youth.&nbsp;

He got a mechaniacl engineering degree in&nbsp;the US and went on to work in Qatar.

According to reports, he had a negative experience as an immigrant student in the US. He was jailed in the US once for not paying bills. He reportedly felt that&nbsp;the US was was "a debauched and racist" country.

At the height of Taliban resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afganistan in the 1980s, Sheikh&nbsp;joined the resistance forces. KSM used to travel to key sites of jihadist groups across the world, and met Osama bin Laden in Sudan during one such trip. He later became one of his close associates. Initially he refused to join al Qaeda, but eventually became&nbsp;the head of its propaganda wing.

He drew detailed plans on how the 9/11 plot will unfold and did reconnaissance missions to the target sites. He presented the plan to&nbsp;Osama bin Laden some time in 1996, and then helped train and direct some of the hijackers.

<h2>Khalid Sheikh Mohammad: The Pakistan connection</h2>

Sheikh hails from Balochistan in Pakistan, where his father,&nbsp;Shaikh Muhammad Ali Dustin al-Baluchi, was a Deobandi imam.

It was Sheikh's presence among the plotters that pointed to Pakistan's involvement in the terror plot. Eventually, Osama bin Laden was found living in a safe house in Abbottabad, just few kilometres away from the military garrisons in Pakistani capital Islamabad. He was killed by US Marines in a night operation in May 2011. 
 
Terrorism also runs in the family of KSM. His nephew Ramzi Yousef is a convicted terrorist for involvement in&nbsp;the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Another nephew,&nbsp;Ammar Al Baluchi, was involved in several terror plots.

 
(With inputs from agencies)

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, has agreed to a plea deal that would see him avoid the death penalty in lieu of a life sentence, according to reports citing US prosecutors.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attacks of 2001, has agreed to a plea deal that would see him avoid the death penalty in lieu of a life sentence, according to reports citing US prosecutors. Sheikh, usually called KSM, reached the plea deal along with two other convicts, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, while awaiting trial for the terror strikes that killed nearly 3,000 Americans on September 11, 2001 in New York, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. Who is Khalid Shaikh Mohammed? Khalid Shaikh Mohammed is a Kuwaiti mechanical engineer of Pakistani origin and self-avowed jihadist, who lived and worked in a host of countries including Qatar, the US, the Philippines, Afghanistan and Sudan. Also read: 9/11 mastermind and accomplices reach plea agreement He was an aide of slain al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and at one point headed the propaganda wing of the terror organisation. Khaled Shaikh Mohammad's involvement in 9/11 terror attacks Sheikh, also known as KSM, developed the idea of the 9/11 attacks, and was involved in its planning as well as training of several terrorists to carry it out. The plan was to ram hijacked planes into some of the most iconic and symbolic buildings of America: The World Trade Center, the Pentagon and possibly the White House or US Congress. Two planes hit the twin towers of World Trade Center on the morning rush hour of September 11, 2001. The third plane aimed for Pentagon but went down near the periphery of the defence department headquaters. A fourth plane crashed on a field in Pennsylvania after passengers bravely fought the hijackers. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad arrest, detention, torture and 'confession' Soon after the attack, a series of arrests followed, and Shaikh was one of those taken into custody from Pakistan's Rawalpindi, in a joint US-Pakistan intelligence operation. Many of the terror suspects arrested were eventually sent to Guantanamo Bay, a notorious US prison and detention camp off the Cuba coast, after being transferred to so-called 'rendition' or 'black' sites, where their years-long torture overshadowed the magnitude of the crimes they had perpetrated. KSM, a portly man in his late 30s or early 40s at the time allegedly confessed to masterminding the attack. The 9/11 Commission Report named him the "the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks". But the confessions, allegedly made in March 2007 onwards, were done under physical torture and tough interrogations that included more than 180 rounds of so-called 'waterboarding' in KSM's case. So it is not completely credible that he also confessed to other terror plots like the Richard Reid shoe bombing, the 2002 Bali bombings in Indonesia as well as a previous bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993. He also confessed to the beheading of US Wall Streets Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. He was also known to be involved in other terror plots, most notably the Bojinka plot in the Philippines to destroy several airlines, which eventually became his blueprint for the 9/11 attacks. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad: A long-term jihadist Sheikh was born on 14 April 1965 in Pakistan. His family subsequently moved to Kuwait. He was radicalised as a teenager after listening to speeches of some clerics who called for jihad. He joined the Muslim Brotherhood while in his youth. He got a mechaniacl engineering degree in the US and went on to work in Qatar. According to reports, he had a negative experience as an immigrant student in the US. He was jailed in the US once for not paying bills. He reportedly felt that the US was was "a debauched and racist" country. At the height of Taliban resistance to the Soviet occupation of Afganistan in the 1980s, Sheikh joined the resistance forces. KSM used to travel to key sites of jihadist groups across the world, and met Osama bin Laden in Sudan during one such trip. He later became one of his close associates. Initially he refused to join al Qaeda, but eventually became the head of its propaganda wing. He drew detailed plans on how the 9/11 plot will unfold and did reconnaissance missions to the target sites. He presented the plan to Osama bin Laden some time in 1996, and then helped train and direct some of the hijackers. Khalid Sheikh Mohammad: The Pakistan connection Sheikh hails from Balochistan in Pakistan, where his father, Shaikh Muhammad Ali Dustin al-Baluchi, was a Deobandi imam. It was Sheikh's presence among the plotters that pointed to Pakistan's involvement in the terror plot. Eventually, Osama bin Laden was found living in a safe house in Abbottabad, just few kilometres away from the military garrisons in Pakistani capital Islamabad. He was killed by US Marines in a night operation in May 2011. Terrorism also runs in the family of KSM. His nephew Ramzi Yousef is a convicted terrorist for involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Another nephew, Ammar Al Baluchi, was involved in several terror plots. (With inputs from agencies)

Who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of 9/11 attacks who'll avoid death penalty?

An independent and bipartisan panel was created at the request of then-United States President George W Bush and Congress to investigate the deadliest terrorist attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead on September 11, 2001.&nbsp;

The entire world was shocked when al Qaeda terrorists smashed two planes into New York's World Trade Center, killing 2,753 people. A third commercial jet hit the Pentagon, killing 184, and 40 more died after a fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after a passenger revolt. It was&nbsp;the first foreign attack on the US mainland in nearly two centuries.

Formally titled 'The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States', the report was issued on July 22, 2004 after examining the facts and circumstances surrounding the 9/11 attacks.&nbsp;

ALSO READ | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/from-physical-injuries-to-psychological-trauma-long-term-health-effects-trouble-people-years-after-911-attacks-412096">From physical injuries to psychological trauma, long-term health effects trouble people years after 9/11 attacks</a>

Also known as 'The 9/11 Commission Report', it revealed how did the attacks happen and how can the nation avoid such tragedies in the future. The report aimed to provide the fullest possible account of the events surrounding 9/11 and to identify lessons learned.&nbsp;

Among the other striking details, the report&nbsp;shed light upon the money trails and the flow of assets as it revealed that then al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden and his aides did not need a very large sum to finance their planned attack on America. The 9/11 plotters eventually spent somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 to plan and conduct their attack.&nbsp;

The mastermind of the attacks was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is yet to be tried and convicted for the heinous crime. He provided the operatives with nearly all the money required to travel to the United States. The report mentioned that terrorists moved, stored and spent their money in ordinary ways but it remained unidentified by the mechanisms in place in the country at the time.&nbsp;

When the report was published, the origin of the funds was unknown, although a general idea of how al Qaeda financed itself during the period leading up to 9/11 was revealed.&nbsp;

ALSO READ |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/illnesses-associated-with-911-have-caused-more-deaths-than-the-attack-report-411514">Military judge presiding over 9/11 trial feels 'no pressure'</a>

As per the commission report, the United States initially thought Bin Laden financed al Qaeda's expenses through a vast personal inheritance as he purportedly inherited approximately $300 million when his father died.

But it was found that al Qaeda relied primarily on a fund-raising network developed over time. The intelligence agencies had then estimated that it cost al Qaeda about $30 million per year to sustain its activities before 9/11 and that this money was raised almost entirely through donations.

However, the US government found that roughly from 1970 through 1994, Osama received about $1 million per year.&nbsp;

The report also revealed that al Qaeda appeared to have relied on a core group of financial facilitators who raised money from a variety of charities, donors and other fund-raisers, primarily in the "Gulf countries and particularly in Saudi Arabia".&nbsp;

The report provided no evidence that any foreign government—or foreign government official—supplied any funding. As it revealed, "It does not appear that any government other than the Taliban financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11."

The investigation provided no credible evidence that any person in the United States gave the hijackers substantial financial assistance.&nbsp;

A part of the report read: "The available evidence indicates that the 19 operatives were funded by al Qaeda, either through wire transfers or cash provided by KSM, which they carried into the United States or deposited in foreign accounts and accessed from this country."

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An independent and bipartisan panel was created at the request of then-United States President George W Bush and Congress to investigate the deadliest terrorist attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead on September 11, 2001.

An independent and bipartisan panel was created at the request of then-United States President George W Bush and Congress to investigate the deadliest terrorist attacks that left nearly 3,000 people dead on September 11, 2001. The entire world was shocked when al Qaeda terrorists smashed two planes into New York's World Trade Center, killing 2,753 people. A third commercial jet hit the Pentagon, killing 184, and 40 more died after a fourth plane crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania after a passenger revolt. It was the first foreign attack on the US mainland in nearly two centuries. Formally titled 'The Final Report of the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States', the report was issued on July 22, 2004 after examining the facts and circumstances surrounding the 9/11 attacks. ALSO READ | From physical injuries to psychological trauma, long-term health effects trouble people years after 9/11 attacks Also known as 'The 9/11 Commission Report', it revealed how did the attacks happen and how can the nation avoid such tragedies in the future. The report aimed to provide the fullest possible account of the events surrounding 9/11 and to identify lessons learned. Among the other striking details, the report shed light upon the money trails and the flow of assets as it revealed that then al Qaeda head Osama bin Laden and his aides did not need a very large sum to finance their planned attack on America. The 9/11 plotters eventually spent somewhere between $400,000 and $500,000 to plan and conduct their attack. The mastermind of the attacks was Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who is yet to be tried and convicted for the heinous crime. He provided the operatives with nearly all the money required to travel to the United States. The report mentioned that terrorists moved, stored and spent their money in ordinary ways but it remained unidentified by the mechanisms in place in the country at the time. When the report was published, the origin of the funds was unknown, although a general idea of how al Qaeda financed itself during the period leading up to 9/11 was revealed. ALSO READ | Military judge presiding over 9/11 trial feels 'no pressure' As per the commission report, the United States initially thought Bin Laden financed al Qaeda's expenses through a vast personal inheritance as he purportedly inherited approximately $300 million when his father died. But it was found that al Qaeda relied primarily on a fund-raising network developed over time. The intelligence agencies had then estimated that it cost al Qaeda about $30 million per year to sustain its activities before 9/11 and that this money was raised almost entirely through donations. However, the US government found that roughly from 1970 through 1994, Osama received about $1 million per year. The report also revealed that al Qaeda appeared to have relied on a core group of financial facilitators who raised money from a variety of charities, donors and other fund-raisers, primarily in the "Gulf countries and particularly in Saudi Arabia". The report provided no evidence that any foreign government—or foreign government official—supplied any funding. As it revealed, "It does not appear that any government other than the Taliban financially supported al Qaeda before 9/11." The investigation provided no credible evidence that any person in the United States gave the hijackers substantial financial assistance. A part of the report read: "The available evidence indicates that the 19 operatives were funded by al Qaeda, either through wire transfers or cash provided by KSM, which they carried into the United States or deposited in foreign accounts and accessed from this country." WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

9/11 attacks and the money trail: How terrorists got funds for the devastating strike

When Americans honor the nearly 3,000 killed in the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the 20th anniversary on Saturday, a grim shadow will lurk in the background, that of attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has yet to be tried and convicted for the heinous crime.&nbsp;

Mohammed, who boasted to interrogators of designing and managing the 9/11 plot&nbsp;sits in a cell in a high-security camp on the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.&nbsp;

He has been here for 15 years, as the attempt to hold him accountable in a US military war court plods on in fits and starts, stuck on whether his being tortured by the CIA renders his boastful confessions inadmissible.

He remains, after the now-dead Osama Bin Laden, the most reviled figure tied to the 9/11 attacks.&nbsp;

Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who investigated the attacks, calls Mohammed a "wild-eyed killer" whose "demented" plotting set him apart from others in Al-Qaeda.

Imagination and managerial skills

Most people know him by the photograph taken of his capture, his thick body clothed in a nightshirt, wearing a thick moustache and disheveled hair.&nbsp;

Appearing in the Guantanamo military courtroom for the first time in over 18 months this week, Mohammed was thinner, with a long, greying red-dyed beard, wearing more traditional Pakistani dress.

He walked in easily, chatting with a fellow defendant in the death-penalty case, and knelt on a small carpet between the tables for prayers.&nbsp;

The official 9/11 Commission report and a Senate report about the CIA's torture program describe the 56-year-old "KSM" as a capable and bloodthirsty lieutenant of bin Laden.

A Pakistani citizen, he was raised in Kuwait. He learned English well enough to study mechanical engineering at a US university.&nbsp;

By the time he graduated in 1986, he was already a Muslim hard-liner.&nbsp;

Working for the Qatar government in the early 1990s, Mohammed appears to have been inspired to action by a nephew, Ramzi Yousef, who undertook the bombing of New York's World Trade Center in 1993. After that, the two joined hands with a plan to blow up US-bound jetliners flying from the Philippines.&nbsp;

Yousef was arrested in Pakistan after the first attempt failed, while Mohammed lay low in Qatar before relocating to Pakistan in 1996 to evade a US search.

It was then that he first proposed the 9/11 attacks to bin Laden.&nbsp;

"Highly educated and equally comfortable in a government office or a terrorist safehouse, KSM applied his imagination, technical aptitude, and managerial skills to hatching and planning an extraordinary array of terrorist schemes," the 9/11 Commission report said.

Waterboarding

After the attacks, Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in March 2003 and taken by the CIA to a black site in Poland for interrogation.&nbsp;

Over four weeks, he was subjected to waterboarding 183 times, as well as to sleep deprivation, repeated slamming against a wall, "rectal rehydration," and other harsh techniques.

The Senate report described him as deeply resistant, frustrating interrogators with lies and fabrications, while giving up relatively general information.&nbsp;

But following his transfer to Guantanamo in September 2006, he proudly confessed to the military court and compared himself to George Washington, fighting to escape oppression.

"I was responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z," he said.

He also claimed responsibility for 30 other operations, including Al-Qaeda-linked bombings in Bali and Kenya, and said he personally murdered the kidnapped US journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded in Pakistan in 2002.

The 9/11 report called his plotting "theater, a spectacle of destruction with KSM as the self-cast star -- the superterrorist."

But the length of the proceedings may have worn him down.&nbsp;

In 2017, Mohammed's lawyers were in discussions to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. That deal never developed, reportedly because of opposition high in the government. &nbsp;

'Legendary figure'

In the court this week, Mohammed appeared confident and unapologetic, animatedly talking to his attorneys, defying the judge's requirement to wear a mask, and waving to two journalists in the glassed-in viewing gallery at the back of the court.

Attorneys say he almost certainly knows of the Taliban recapturing control of Afghanistan, hailed as a great victory by Al-Qaeda.

"He is definitely considered as a legendary figure and one of the masterminds behind 9/11," Tore Hamming, a Danish specialist on militant Islam, told AFP.

"That said, it is not like KSM is often discussed, but occasionally he features in written and visual productions," he added.

When Americans honor the nearly 3,000 killed in the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the 20th anniversary on Saturday, a grim shadow will lurk in the background, that of attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has yet to be tried and convicted for the heinous crime.

When Americans honor the nearly 3,000 killed in the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the 20th anniversary on Saturday, a grim shadow will lurk in the background, that of attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who has yet to be tried and convicted for the heinous crime. Mohammed, who boasted to interrogators of designing and managing the 9/11 plot sits in a cell in a high-security camp on the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has been here for 15 years, as the attempt to hold him accountable in a US military war court plods on in fits and starts, stuck on whether his being tortured by the CIA renders his boastful confessions inadmissible. He remains, after the now-dead Osama Bin Laden, the most reviled figure tied to the 9/11 attacks. Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who investigated the attacks, calls Mohammed a "wild-eyed killer" whose "demented" plotting set him apart from others in Al-Qaeda. Imagination and managerial skills Most people know him by the photograph taken of his capture, his thick body clothed in a nightshirt, wearing a thick moustache and disheveled hair. Appearing in the Guantanamo military courtroom for the first time in over 18 months this week, Mohammed was thinner, with a long, greying red-dyed beard, wearing more traditional Pakistani dress. He walked in easily, chatting with a fellow defendant in the death-penalty case, and knelt on a small carpet between the tables for prayers. The official 9/11 Commission report and a Senate report about the CIA's torture program describe the 56-year-old "KSM" as a capable and bloodthirsty lieutenant of bin Laden. A Pakistani citizen, he was raised in Kuwait. He learned English well enough to study mechanical engineering at a US university. By the time he graduated in 1986, he was already a Muslim hard-liner. Working for the Qatar government in the early 1990s, Mohammed appears to have been inspired to action by a nephew, Ramzi Yousef, who undertook the bombing of New York's World Trade Center in 1993. After that, the two joined hands with a plan to blow up US-bound jetliners flying from the Philippines. Yousef was arrested in Pakistan after the first attempt failed, while Mohammed lay low in Qatar before relocating to Pakistan in 1996 to evade a US search. It was then that he first proposed the 9/11 attacks to bin Laden. "Highly educated and equally comfortable in a government office or a terrorist safehouse, KSM applied his imagination, technical aptitude, and managerial skills to hatching and planning an extraordinary array of terrorist schemes," the 9/11 Commission report said. Waterboarding After the attacks, Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan in March 2003 and taken by the CIA to a black site in Poland for interrogation. Over four weeks, he was subjected to waterboarding 183 times, as well as to sleep deprivation, repeated slamming against a wall, "rectal rehydration," and other harsh techniques. The Senate report described him as deeply resistant, frustrating interrogators with lies and fabrications, while giving up relatively general information. But following his transfer to Guantanamo in September 2006, he proudly confessed to the military court and compared himself to George Washington, fighting to escape oppression. "I was responsible for the 9/11 operation, from A to Z," he said. He also claimed responsibility for 30 other operations, including Al-Qaeda-linked bombings in Bali and Kenya, and said he personally murdered the kidnapped US journalist Daniel Pearl, who was beheaded in Pakistan in 2002. The 9/11 report called his plotting "theater, a spectacle of destruction with KSM as the self-cast star -- the superterrorist." But the length of the proceedings may have worn him down. In 2017, Mohammed's lawyers were in discussions to plead guilty in exchange for a life sentence. That deal never developed, reportedly because of opposition high in the government. 'Legendary figure' In the court this week, Mohammed appeared confident and unapologetic, animatedly talking to his attorneys, defying the judge's requirement to wear a mask, and waving to two journalists in the glassed-in viewing gallery at the back of the court. Attorneys say he almost certainly knows of the Taliban recapturing control of Afghanistan, hailed as a great victory by Al-Qaeda. "He is definitely considered as a legendary figure and one of the masterminds behind 9/11," Tore Hamming, a Danish specialist on militant Islam, told AFP. "That said, it is not like KSM is often discussed, but occasionally he features in written and visual productions," he added.