Court boycotted by 9/11 suspects

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of masterminding the attacks on the World Trade Center and other US targets Five men accused of planning the 9/11 attacks on America have boycotted a hearing at a US military court in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others did not appear in the high security courtroom when the hearing started. The judge had ruled that three of the five - including Mr Sheikh Mohammed - would not be able to speak in court. The hearing was meant to focus on medical reports on two of the five. A US prosecutor said those two would be brought to court by "all necessary means". Lawyers are currently discussing whether all five should be allowed to speak. Trial confusion Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - described by US intelligence as "one of history's most infamous terrorists" - earlier admitted being responsible "from A to Z" for 9/11. Believed to be the number three al-Qaeda leader before his capture in Pakistan in March 2003, he told a pre-trial hearing at Guantanamo in December 2008 that he wanted to plead guilty to all charges against him. The Obama administration has yet to announce how the five defendants will be tried or where they will be held if the camp at Guantanamo Bay is closed by January 2010, as promised. US President Barack Obama has ordered a halt to military commissions at Guantanamo Bay but preparations continue for military trials and prosecutors say they are ready to begin proceedings against 66 detainees. Mr Obama has conceded that some will be tried in military courts once Congress passes legislation which puts in place a number of legal safeguards.