Irishman who lost family in 9/11 fears terrorists will be freed

Mark Clifford said heâs endured âyet another massively frustrating yearâ in which no progress has been made in bringing to trial the five Guantanamo Bay-held suspects who were captured more than a decade ago.
And speaking ahead of the 15th anniversary of the terror attacks, Mr Clifford said the ongoing failure of the US government to bring those responsible to justice has left his family and the loved-ones of the 3,000 victims of the atrocity in an âunbearable limboâ.
Markâs sister, Ruth McCourt and her four-year-old daughter, Juliana, were passengers aboard the second hijacked aircraft to crash into the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.
In a cruel twist of fate, Mark had been told just hours before that his older, US-based brother, Ron, had narrowly survived the disaster when a ball of flaming wreckage fell on the building plaza in front of him.
However, Mr Clifford said his still very raw grief has been compounded by the endless administrative hurdles and legal complications that have so far prevented a trial taking place in Guantanamo Bay.
And the 56-year-old Cork native said he is increasingly concerned that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the four other accused 9/11 plotters could evade justice altogether.
âItâs now 15 years since 9/11 and we havenât moved on at all in terms of bringing those responsible to justice.
âFor the thousands of people like me, who lost family members and loved-ones, itâs hugely frustrating. Just two years ago, David, Ruthâs husband, died without seeing those who caused his wifeâs death brought to trial. And there must be hundreds more cases like that, where for example mothers and fathers of victims have passed away.
âThere seems to be a lack of political will to get anything done, and thatâs extremely difficult for all the victimsâ family members, because we need to get closure,â Mr Clifford said.
âWeâre all extremely frustrated and I have a fear that some legal do-gooder could come in and get the five suspects off, which could let them walk free without facing trial.â
Despite the lack of progress, Mr Clifford said his older brother, Ron â who witnessed first-hand the devastation of the immediate aftermath of the terror attacks â is still expected to play a key role in the trial, if and when it gets under way.
But more immediately, Mr Clifford is preparing to privately celebrate the lives of Ruth and Juliana on Sunday, the day of the 15th anniversary of 9/11.
âJuliana should be a happy, 19-year-old young woman now, maybe entering her second year of college or travelling the world.
âSo many lives were destroyed that day, and the anniversaries donât get any easier,â he said.