9/11 and Mumbai "masterminds" in the spotlight

Mohammed, who the 9/11 Commission labelled the "principal architect of the 9/11 attacks", is charged with 2,793 counts of murder for his part in the terrorist attacks that day. He faces the death penalty if found guilty. Mohammed has also claimed involvement in a plethora of other terrorist plots, including the World Trade Centre bombing in 1993 and the Bali bombings of 2002. He has also stated that he beheaded journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.

Relatives of those killed on 9/11 will sit in on his trial, which this week is dealing with a degree of pre-trial issues, including a motion from the defense to dismiss the case entirely. This is due to the role played by a former Pentagon legal advisor, who was assigned to help jump-start the stalled Guantanamo trials but has been accused of exceeding his authority by then actually taking charge of the cases. This could even lead to the officer in question being interrogated in court by the defendant, as Mohammed is representing himself.

Meanwhile Lakhvi’s arrest in Kashmir, along with 12 other suspects, has been confirmed by Jamaat-ud-Dawa, the “charity and education arm” of Lashkar-e-Taiba. According to Indian officials Ajmal Amir Kasab, the terrorist detained following the Mumbai attacks, named Lakhvi and Yusuf Muzammil as the masterminds behind the plot.