Sept. 11 families fear war-crimes trial

Unlike some war-crimes defendants who are boycotting the process at Guantanamo Bay, Mohammed's lawyer told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his client has given no indication he will do so.

Mohammed, who was al-Qaida's No. 3 when he was captured in Pakistan in March 2003, tried to glorify his role in the Sept. 11 attacks and dozens of other terrorist acts during an appearance before a military panel last year.

He will have a much bigger audience next month when he and four alleged co-conspirators are arraigned on death-penalty charges at the U.S. naval base. Journalists from around the world are expected to attend, and the military plans to show the proceedings to victims' relatives on closed-circuit television at U.S. military bases.

Those families are bracing for another round of self-aggrandizing rhetoric from the man who claimed during a hearing in March 2007 that he was responsible for the Sept. 11 operation "from A to Z."

"It was horrifying to hear it and certainly it's hurtful, but it pales in comparison to the losses we live with every single day," said Sally Regenhard, whose firefighter son died at the World Trade Center in New York.

Bruce de Cell, whose son-in-law also died in the twin towers, said he believes that providing Mohammed the opportunity to speak publicly is "a necessary evil" in seeing that justice is done.

Navy Capt. Prescott Prince, Mohammed's Pentagon-appointed attorney, conceded Mohammed could make remarks similar to the rambling speech he made last year when he even cited George Washington as a revolutionary. The military provided a transcript but did not release the audio, citing fear that hearing his voice could rally supporters.

Charles "Cully" Stimson, a former Pentagon official, predicted Mohammed will stage-manage every detail of his defense because of his "massive ego" and to "garner support for not only the righteousness of what he did but also the wider audience out there."

Prince said Mohammed was cooperative during their first meeting, and plans to meet with him again on Thursday. He said he has no indication that Mohammed will boycott the trial, as five Guantanamo detainees charged with other crimes have done.