GEOFF BENNETT: The man accused as# the mastermind behind the September## 11 terrorist attacks and his# two accomplices have agreed## to plea -- have agreed to a plea deal in# exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

The development comes 16 years# after their prosecution started.

Ali Rogin has the latest.

ALI ROGIN: The three men, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed,## the alleged leader behind the attacks, and# Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and## Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, all agreed to# plead guilty in exchange for life sentences.

The men have been in custody since# 2003 and initially charged in 2008,## but there have been years of legal delays due## in part to the brutal torture the men# were subjected to while in detention.

In a letter, government prosecutors said# they recognize the deal would be met with## mixed reactions among thousands of# family members who lost loved ones,## but they called it the best path to# finality and justice in this case.

For a closer look, I'm joined by Wall Street# Journal reporter Jess Bravin.

He's the author## of "The Terror Courts," an account# of military trials at Guantanamo Bay.

Jess, thank you so much for joining us.

How did this deal come to be# and why is it happening now?

JESS BRAVIN, The Wall Street Journal: Well,# this deal was under negotiation since 2022,## and it wasn't the first time a# deal like this was considered.

For years, prosecutors and officials in the# military commission apparatus thought that a## deal for life sentences in exchange for guilty# plays was -- pleas would be the only way out.## So an earlier effort was quashed by higher-ups in# the Pentagon.

This one began, as I said, in 2022## and has continued as some of the detainees, some# of the defendants, KSM, as we have called him,## and the other two decided they were ready to get# some finality for their own fate and move forward.

So it really accelerated in the last# two weeks.

There was a court session## at Guantanamo Bay.

Prosecutors and the defense## attorneys said they were ready to wrap# it up and try to get this case closed.

ALI ROGIN: Prosecutors had# sought the death penalty,## but the alleged torture that# the defendants underwent for## years complicated those proceedings.

How# did that all factor into this decision?

JESS BRAVIN: Well, it was really# essential, because, right after 9/11,## when reports began emerging about# brutal treatment of enemy prisoners,## torture, as in fact President# Obama called it at one point,## began to emerge, there were questions about# how would this affect any future trials?

And there were legal experts then who# warned that it would make it very difficult,## if not impossible, to prosecute people# if they were severely mistreated by the## government while in custody.

And# that is exactly what has happened.

These detainees wanted to bring in evidence# of how they were treated by the CIA.

Mohammed## had been water-boarded.

They'd been beaten.# All kinds of things had been done to them## that the United States would not tolerate for# its own citizens.

And they wanted to bring in## evidence saying that any statements# they made were infected by torture.

So a lot of the pretrial wrangling# over more than a decade has been over,## what can the defendants introduce about their# treatment?

And then there was a second factor,## which is that under a doctrine# sometimes called unclean hands,## the government is punished by courts# when it commits misconduct in a trial.

And abusing defendants in custody is# misconduct.

So it is possible that,## even if they were convicted and sentenced to# death, on appeal, a higher court might sanction## the government by taking the death penalty off the# table.

So the death penalty seemed to be really a## bridge too far, given the mistreatment of these# prisoners after they were captured by the U.S. ALI ROGIN: And what do we know about how the# families of 9/11 victims are responding to this?

JESS BRAVIN: It is a total mixed# bag.

There are thousands of families## of victims.

And as you would expect,# there are opinions across the gamut.

There are some who feel that nothing# short of death is appropriate for## these defendants.

And based on their# actions, it would be hard to say,## if the death penalty is appropriate for# anyone, it wouldn't be appropriate for## them.

Others simply oppose the death penalty.# Many Americans and people around the world## just philosophically are morally opposed# the death penalty period for anybody.

And some of those are among the victims' families.## And then there are those who really# take the prosecutor's point of view,## which is that, ideally, they could pursue# capital punishment for these defendants,## but it's just time for closure and it's time# to end this proceeding and move forward.

One of the features of the deal is that# there will be a sentencing hearing,## where the defendants can testify, but# they will have to answer questions## from the victim's families.

And for many of# those families who are looking for answers,## who are looking for some sense# of these accused perpetrators,## that hearing will be the substitution for a full# trial on what happened in the lead-up to 9/11.

ALI ROGIN: In the moments we have left,## what happens next?

Where do these# defendants spend.. JESS BRAVIN: Well, again, it hasn't fully been# approved by all the proceedings that have to## happen.

But the plan is that they will next enter# a plea probably within a week or a month of now.

Next year, there will be the sentencing# hearing.

And after their sentence is confirmed,## they likely will spend it right where# they are now at Guantanamo Bay.

The## technical status of their detention will# change.

They will be sentenced prisoners,## but in terms of their day-to-day lives, probably# not much will change.

They will be looking at## the same four walls that they are looking# at right now for the rest of their lives.

ALI ROGIN: Jess Bravin, covering this every step# of the way, thank you so much for joining us.

JESS BRAVIN: You bet.

Thank you.