A Miami Beach man whose mother was killed on American Airlines Flight 11 during the 9/11 attacks said Tuesday that he was “incredibly pleased” military prosecutors re-filed terrorism and murder charges against five people accused in the attacks.
“I’m incredibly pleased. This has been a long time coming,” Dominic J. Puopolo Jr. said. “The wheels of justice are now spinning again. I don’t think it’s going to be solved in a couple of months, but it will get the ball rolling.”
Puopolo lost his 61-year-old mother Sonia Mercedes Morales Puopolo in the attacks.
"We are never going to forget about this. I live with this loss everyday. This is just another part of closure," Puopolo said.
The charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the others allege that they were responsible for planning the attacks that sent commercial airliners slamming into the World Trade towers, the Pentagon and the Pennsylvania countryside, killing nearly 3,000 people.
The five men were previously charged in connection with the attacks, but those charges were dropped in 2009, when the Obama administration hoped to do away with the Bush-era military commissions and close Guantanamo. The administration has been unable to close the prison or try the men in civilian court.
“I feel a measured sense of optimism that the process is finally underway,” said Puopolo. “I would like to have this behind us. It’s been a long time. Ten years without a trial is very hard.”
Local
The charges were outlined in an email sent out by the Department of Defense and obtained by NBC Miami earlier Tuesday. A spokeswoman for the Office of Military Commissions confirmed the emails were being sent out.
Military officials will meet with family members of the Sept. 11 victims in various cities around the country for trial preparations and witness interviews.
Puopolo said that given the opportunity, he would like to attend the trial and testify. The trial process will take place at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
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