A Christmas gift to al Qaeda?

The handling of post-9/11 terrorist suspects has, of course, been stupendously stupid. The Guantanamo Bay military prison has proved to be an embarrassing dumping gound often for people we don't know what to do with. And military tribunals have been a clumsy affront to our values and undermine our standing in the court of world opinion.

Now, it looks as though we are going to double down on our stupidity by giving these mother fuckers a gift: martydom.

Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four co-defendants have told a military judge at Guantanamo Bay they want to confess and plead guilty.

The judge at the pre-trial hearing, Col Stephen Henley, said he would question the men to ensure that was their wish.

Mr Mohammed had earlier said he wished to be executed and achieve martyrdom, but had still mounted a defence.

The five accused face the death penalty if convicted of a role in killing 2,973 people in the suicide plane attacks.

These guys should have been disposed of in the same way as Mohammed's nephew. Ramzi Yousef, the perpetrator of the WTC bombing in 1993 was convicted in a court of law and sentenced to life in prison. He's all but forgotten and will never achieve martyrdom.