Five men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks on the US appeared at the US military hearing at Guantanamo.
All dressed in white and without handcuffs, the five were seated at a table with their military defence team.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali, Wallid bin Attash and Mustapha al-Hawsawi all face the death penalty if convicted.
The alleged mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, called to be sentenced to death at his military court appearance this afternoon.
The Pakistani national told the hearing at Guantanamo Bay that he was looking to be a martyr and threw out his appointed military and civilian defence team, saying he would defend himself.
The US claims Mr Sheikh Mohammed admitted being behind not just the 11 September attacks but also some 30 other operations.
The alleged confession was contained in transcripts of his interrogation released by the Pentagon
His appearance today is the first time he has been seen in public since his capture in Pakistan on 1 March 2003.
Charges against the five men include conspiracy, murder, attacking civilians, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property, terrorism, and material support for terrorism.
The men appeared relaxed as they chatted in Arabic, before the hearing presided over judge Colonel Ralph Kohlmann began.
The judge opened the military commission by saying the US government would consider any statements by the five as confidential because of their detentions in secret CIA prisons.
That meant there was to be a 20-second delay before the defendants statements were broadcast by video to the nearby purpose-built press room in order to allow prosecutors to cut any sensitive information
The five defendants are:
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani raised in Kuwait and educated in the United States, who has claimed responsibility for 31 attacks and plots and the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. He is accused of serving as military operations commander for all of al Qaeda's foreign operations before his capture in Pakistan in 2003. The Pentagon claims he proposed the operational concept of the 11 September attacks to al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden as early as 1996, oversaw the entire operation and trained the hijackers.
Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, is a nephew of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and cousin of jailed 1993 World Trade Centre bomber Ramzi Yousef. He is accused of being an important facilitator of the 11 September attacks, transferring money to US-based operatives and assisting nine hijackers on their way from Pakistan to the United States. The Pentagon claims he sent about $120,000 to hijackers for their expenses and flight training.
Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni national and one-time roommate of suspected hijack ringleader Mohamed Atta, is accused of serving as a link between al Qaeda leaders and the hijackers. US officials say he tried but failed to obtain a visa to enter the United States to take part in the attacks as a pilot-hijacker. The US says he helped find flight schools for the hijackers in the United States. Binalshibh was captured in Karachi in September 2002.
Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi, a Saudi national, is accused of being a key financial facilitator of the 11 September attacks. The Pentagon alleges he provided the hijackers with money, Western clothing, traveller's checks and credit cards.
Walid bin Attash, a Yemeni raised in Saudi Arabia, is accused of running an al- Qaeda camp in Afghanistan where he trained two of the hijackers. The Pentagon said he traveled to Malaysia in 1999 to observe the security of US airlines to assist the hijacking plan. Known by the alias Khallad, he has admitted to planning the attack on the USS Cole, buying the explosives and the boat that was used in the attack and recruiting the operatives. He also claimed involvement in the bombing of the US embassy in Kenya.
