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Lawyers: U.S. rushing 9/11 trials before election

Defense lawyers say the government is rushing 9/11 defendants to trial at Guantanamo to influence the U.S. presidential elections.
/ Source: The Associated Press

The government is rushing 9/11 defendants to trial at Guantanamo to influence the U.S. presidential elections, and are asking the military judge to dismiss the case, defense lawyers said.

Military lawyers for alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other defendants say the prosecution is politically motivated. A copy of their filing with the war-crimes tribunal was obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday.

The defense notes that the prosecution proposes the trial begin on Sept. 15, less than two months before the presidential elections. The lawyers have said the military is pressuring prosecutors to try the Sept. 11 defendants soon to capture the attention of the American public.