[JURIST] The US Department of Defense has assigned Navy Captain Prescott Prince [Miami Herald profile, PDF] to defend confessed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed [BBC profile; JURIST news archive] before a US military commission, the Miami Herald reported Tuesday. In February, the US government said it would seek the death penalty [JURIST report] for Mohammed and five other Guantanamo detainees accused of involvement in the Sept. 11 attacks. Last week, the American Civil Liberties Union and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers said they have teamed up to provide experienced civilian defense attorneys [press release; JURIST report] to assist military-appointed lawyers in defending several Guantanamo Bay [JURIST news archive] detainees who are facing military commission trials, including Mohammed.

Mohammed admitted under oath during his first hearing [JURIST report] before a Combatant Status Review Tribunal (CSRT) [DOD backgrounder] in March 2007 that he masterminded the 9/11 attacks [JURIST report]. Reuters has more.