This story was originally published by the WND News Center.
They are admitting the responsibility for the murders of nearly 3,000 people in America, but they are being let off with life sentences.
That's the substance of a deal the Joe Biden-Kamala Harris administration is reaching with several of the 9/11 terror attack terrorists, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad.
And it's not getting a good reaction from multitudes of the victims, from family members of those murdered to members of the New York Fire Department, which lost dozens of its brothers and sisters in the attack.
Fox News reports a union representing New York firefighters reports its members are "disgusted and disappointed" with the deal sparing Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attach and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsasi.
They have been held at Guantanamo Bay for years already, since their capture for the 9/11 attacks in New York and Washington.
A letter sent to families of victims bluntly informed them, "In exchange for removal of the death penalty as a possible punishment, these three accused have agreed to plead guilty to all of the charged offenses, including the murder of the 2,976 people listed in the charge sheet."
That was from Rear Adm. Aaron Rugh, the chief prosecutor for the Office of Military Commissions, and was documented by the New York Post.
"On behalf of New York City firefighters, especially the survivors of the September 11th terrorist attack who are living with the illnesses and injuries that were inflicted upon us that day, we are disgusted and disappointed that these three terrorists were given a plea deal and allowed to escape the ultimate justice while each month three more heroes from the FDNY are dying from World Trade Center illnesses," stated Andrew Ansbro, the chief of the FDNY Uniformed Firefighters Association.
9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson added, "While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information. These plea deals should not perpetuate a system of closed-door agreements, where crucial information is hidden without giving the families of the victims the chance to learn the full truth."
The three are accused of providing training, money and other help to the 19 terrorists who hijacked four passenger jets that day and crashed them into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania.
The Washington Examiner reported families of those killed were not happy either.
And Newsweek said the announcement "sparked fury."
"For me personally, I wanted to see a trial," said Terry Strada, head of a group of families of victims, 9/11 Families United.
"And they just took away the justice I was expecting, a trial and the punishment."
Michael Burke, who lost family, told legacy wire service AP it "always been disgraceful that these guys, 23 years later, have not been convicted and punished for their attacks, or the crime."
He continued, "I think people would be shocked if you could go back in time and tell the people who just watched the towers go down, 'Oh, hey, in 23 years, these guys who are responsible for this crime we just witnessed are going to be getting plea deals so they can avoid death and serve life in prison.'"
Sen. Mitch McConnell said the deals were a "revolting abdication of the government's responsibility to defend America and provide justice."
House Speaker Mike Johnson added, "For more than two decades, the families of those murdered by these terrorists have waited for justice. This plea deal is a slap in the face of those families. They deserved better from the Biden-Harris Administration."
National Security Council officials said Biden, who recently "dropped out" of the 2024 presidential race after he exhibited multiple episodes of a declining mental ability, played no role in the decision.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, of New York, said, "Any plea deal with the terrorists responsible for killing thousands of Americans including so many of my constituents is unacceptable. We owe it to the victims, their families and those 9/11 heroes who continue dying today from related illnesses to pursue the death penalty."