Accused Sept. 11 mastermind open to aiding lawsuit to escape death penalty

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's FBI Most Wanted poster.
(Image credit: FBI/Getty Images)

Through his lawyers, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, has indicated he is open to being deposed as part of a victims' lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, as long as the United States government does not seek the death penalty against him.

The offer was revealed in court documents filed Friday in New York, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday night. The lawsuit accuses the Saudi government of helping coordinate the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people at the time and also led to health problems in first responders. Of the 19 hijackers who perpetrated the terrorist attacks, 15 were Saudi citizens. Saudi Arabia has denied being involved.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.