Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: How '9/11 mastermind' take slip through FBI fingers

Di man dem accuse say e dey behind di kasala plot to fly hijacked passenger planes enter US landmarks 20 years ago dey locked up dey await trial. But se dem fit don stop am years before?

"E be my guy."

Frank Pellegrino siddon for one hotel room in Malaysia wen e bin see di television picture of di planeas e crash enter di Twin Towers. Di first tin e think be say : "My God, "na Khalid Sheikh Mohammed e go be."

Di target and di ambition match wella and Pellegrino dey unique position to know.

Di former FBI special agent bin pursue Mohammed for like thirty years, yet di allege 9/11 mastermind never face justice.

One lawyer for Mohammed bin tell BBC say e fit be another 20 years before dem conclude di case.

Osama Bin Laden,be di leader of al-Qaeda dat time, and e dey most closely associate wit di 9/11 attacks. But di reality be say Mohammed - abi "KSM" as e dey popular wit - be di "principal architect", according to di 9/11 Commission wey investigate di attacks.Im be di man wey come up wit di idea and e carry am go meet al-Qaeda.

Born in Kuwait, e study for America before im fight in Afghanistan in di 1980s. Years before di 9/11 attack, FBI Agent Frank Pellegrino don dey on di trail of di jihadist. Dem dey monitor am seriously.

FBI bin assign Pellegrino to investigate di 1993 bombing of di World Trade Center. Na dia Mohammed name first ring bell for US authority ear sake of one money transfer wey e do give one of di poipo wey dey involve.

Di FBI agent bin realise di scale of Mohammed ambition in 1995 when e dey linked to one plot to blow multiple international airliners over di Pacific. In di mid-1990s, Pellegrino bin dey close to get im man, e track am to Qatar.

Oga Pellegrino and one team go to Oman from where dem plan to cross enter Qatar and arrest Mohammed. One plane dey ready to bring di suspect back. But resistance dey from US diplomats wey dey ground. Pellegrino go to Qatar and tell di ambassador and other officials wey dey di embassysay e get one gbege against Mohammed for di plot wey involve airliners. But ambassador say e know say dem be wan cause trouble for di kontri.

"I guess dem think say dis be di rocking boat ," Pellegrino remember.

Eventually di ambassador tell Pellegrino say Qatari officials claim say dem don lost Mohammed. "Fear bin dey and anger and frustration sef follow join," e tok. "We sabi dat time say dis missed opportunity."

But e acknowledge say in di mid-90s dem no see Mohammed as one high-priority target. Pellegrino no even fit get am him listed on America Top Ten Most Wanted. "dem tell me say too many terrorists dey there already."

E be like say Mohammed don get gist say US get interest for im matter and japa commot from Qatar, end up in Afghanistan.

Over di next few years KSM name bin dey crop up, often in phone books of terror suspects wey chop arrest across di world, dis one dey make am clear say e dey connected wella. Na during dis years wey e go to Bin Laden wit di idea say make dem train pilots to fly planes enter buildings inside in di US.

And den 9/11 happen. Pellegrino suspicion say KSM role go dey proved right wen one key al-Qaeda figure in custody identify am. "Everybody realise say na Frank guy do am," Pellegrino remember. "When we found out he was the guy, there was nobody more miserable than me."

In 2003, Mohammed dey tracked down e chop arrest in Pakistan. Pellegrino hope say e go fit stand trial under di accuse wey im don arrange down. But Mohammed disappear. Di CIA bin take am to one"black site" where dem dey use "ogbonge interrogation techniques".

"I wan know wetin e know, and I wan know am fast," one senior CIA official bin yarn dat time.

Mohammed chop toture, di water board type at least 183 times, something wey dem describe as "near to drown". Dem subject am to rectal rehydration, stress positions, sleep deprivation, forced nudity, and tell am say dem go kill im pikins.

E go confess to multiple plots dat time. But one Senate report later find say plenti of di intelligence im produce be make up.

Afta dem reveal details of di CIA detention programme, "ogbonge detainees" like Mohammed dey moved to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. Di FBI come finally get access.

In January 2007 Frank Pellegrino meet face-to-face wit di man wey e don pursued for long.

Di two of dem siddon across table from each oda.

"I bin wan let am know say i dey involve for im accuse since di 90s," e say, in di hope say e fit open tok-tok to get information about 9/11.

Di former FBI man no go disclose di details of wetin dey di tok but e agree say "Mohammed na guy wey sabi engage person wit tok, believe it or not".

Many times dem dey see KSM "grandstand" for hearings in Guantanamo and Pellegrino describe di world most sabi terrorist suspect as "Kardashian" sake of e dey find attention but say e no dey show sign say e regret.

Weda e confess or want to make di most of di trial? "I certainly think say e dey OK wit wetin im do, but e like di show," e tok.

After six days of tok-tok Mohammed finally say e don do. "And na im be dat," Pellegrino remember.

Subsequent attempt to deliver justice for 9/11 dey stagger. One plan to hold trial for New York no go far after public and political opposition. "Everyone dey scream 'I no wan dis guy for my backyard. Keep am down in Guantanamo,'" Pellegrino tok imself be New Yorker.

Next na military tribunal for Guantanamo. But delay, plus di one wey Covid-19 add to close di base, don make am one long-drawn out process. More hearings dey take place dis week but end look like long way off.

Mohammed lawyer belief say di latest hearing get time to show di media say something dey happen on di 20th anniversary of 9/11. David Nevin tell BBC say e dey expect "something in di order of 20 years for complete resolution of di process."

Di criminal defence lawyer bin dey on di case since e begin in 2008. Di original plan na to begin trial almost immediately. But dem never even near to start, e tok, e note say one newl judge be "di eighth or ninth judge wey we don get" depending on how you count am.

Di judge suppose familiarise imself wit around 35,000 pages of transcripts of previous hearings and thousands of motions in wetin Nevin describe as di "largest criminal trial in di history of di United States".

And e be di most controversial.

Dat one na primary sake of di five defendants dey hold for secret detention by di CIA and subject to "ogbonge interrogation techniques."

Dis one don lead to argument as evidence dey spoil by wetin happen for di black sites as dem call am.

Di United States bin "organise and implement one clearly defined programme to torture dis men," Nevin tok. Those methods provide plenty scope for any possible appeals against any conviction wey dey drag for years.

Nevin no go disclose details of wetin e be like to represent one of di world most notorious defendants. He says initially im client "no too sure" of di American lawyer wey dey represent am so dem get one long process to get to know each other.

When dem hold Mohammed inside one top-secret part of di naval base di lawyers dey one van wit di windows blacked out for drive around for 45 minutes so dem go loose dia sense, e say. But now e say im client dey hold in di less secret Camp 5.

Di legal team dey alive to di sensitivities of di 9/11 victims' families wey dem fly fly out to attend tribunal hearings. At meeting some family members go challenge lawyers like Nevin about how dem represent defendants, but odas go ask questions about how di process dey work.

"We work very hard to not do anything wey go increase di pain and suffer head dem don experience over di years," Nevin tok.

Anoda reason im belief say di tribunal don too drag na because na death penalty case and dat one raise di stake. "E for don over long ago if di gomment no dey seek to execute dis men."

Pellegrino bin delay im retirement from di FBI by three years wit hope say Mohammed military tribunal at Guantanamo, wey e expect to expects to testify at, go complete. "E for dey nice to see dis through when I still get di badge."

But di ogbonge special agent hit retirement age e just comot di bureau.

As e don cross di world dey pursue leads on Mohammed, e come dey feel one kind strong sense of failure, E dey wonder whether if e capture am in di 1990s fit prevent 9/11.

"Im name dey come up in my head every day and no be better thought," e tok.

"Time dey helep to heal tins. But e be wetin e be."