It remains unclear whether the deal, first reported by the New York Times, will be agreeable to family members. However, it is not clear that would be required.
Reports suggest some relatives of those who were killed when hijackers seized four passenger planes and flew them into New York’s Twin Towers and the Pentagon, still want a trial to go ahead. The fourth hijacked plane was brought down in a Pennsylvania field after passengers stormed the cockpit.
In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, the US invaded Afghanistan and then Iraq, and hundreds of suspected militants were sent to the hastily constructed prison camp located at a US military base on the tip of Cuba.
At one point, it housed as many as 750 prisoners. Today there are 30. Only five have been formally charged.
News of the potential plea deal came as families of those killed or injured returned to federal court in New York, as part of an effort to formally tie Saudi Arabia to the attacks. Even though 15 of the hijackers were from Saudi, Riyadh has long rejected having a role in the attacks.