As the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks approaches, two women who lost their fathers are still searching for answers and accountability regarding the man accused of orchestrating the tragedy. Elizabeth Miller lost her father, New York City firefighter Douglas Miller, when she was 6 years old, while Jessica Trant was 19 when her father, Daniel Trant, died on the 104th floor of the North Tower. Friday marks 25 years since the attacks, a milestone accompanied by an overwhelming display of support that Miller noted leaves her ready to retreat. Miller and Trant forged a friendship through their joint mission to pursue accountability from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-confessed mastermind of the attacks who is held at Guantanamo Bay, though they hold differing views on what that accountability should entail. Their journey, alongside efforts to find closure for other families and the American public, is chronicled in a new documentary titled “Daughters of 9/11,” which premieres Friday. Trant reflected on the public nature of their loss, explaining that the world witnessed the murder of their loved ones and that her grief ultimately evolved into a mission to visit Guantanamo. Former FBI special agent Frank Pellegrino, who spent years tracking Mohammed and later interrogated him at Guantanamo, described Mohammed as arrogant and entirely unremorseful during their talks. In a four-day interrogation featured partly in the documentary, Mohammed admitted he directed the 9/11 plot from beginning to end, though legal debates persist over whether this confession is admissible in court. A military court decided in August that the interrogation cannot be used in Mohammed’s upcoming criminal trial, scheduled for 2028 at Guantanamo, because the confession remains tainted by the torture he suffered following his 2003 capture. Pellegrino expressed lingering guilt over not apprehending Mohammed prior to 9/11, despite coming close several times during the five years he spent hunting him. However, Trant dismissed the notion that Pellegrino should feel guilty, emphasizing that he and his partner were among the few sounding the alarm about Mohammed before the attacks and have remained dedicated to the families ever since. Facing charges including conspiracy, terrorism, hijacking, and the murder of 2,976 people, Mohammed’s long-delayed criminal trial and the legal hurdles surrounding it are a central focus of the documentary. “Daughters of 9/11” airs on Friday, September 11, at 9 p.m. ET on CBS and will also be available for streaming on Paramount+.
Source: cbsnews.com
