Suspects to Face 9/11 Questions

At least two top Al Qaeda suspects in U.S. custody will be questioned by the commission investigating the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks as part of the panel’s effort to determine the root of the disaster and whether it could have been prevented.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, commission Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton said the panel had worked out an arrangement with the White House that allowed members to pose questions to detainees.

Although Hamilton would not identify the captives being questioned, he suggested that they were Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and Ramzi Binalshibh, who are accused of masterminding the attacks.

Hamilton would not elaborate but said the commission would include as much information as possible in the declassified version of the report due July 26.

“We have had a procedure in mind ... whereby we are able to ask questions of these detainees, and that is still being processed and worked out,” he said. “We think the result will be that we will have the information we need from these people.”

Mohammed, Binalshibh and Abu Zubeida, believed to be a top lieutenant of Osama bin Laden, are being interrogated at secret locations outside the U.S.

“One of the most closely held secrets is where these people are. We were told the president doesn’t know where they are,” Hamilton said.

Members are hoping to submit chapters of the report in advance to the White House, which must review the report to ensure that no classified information is made public.