Prosecutors want family members of some of the 9/11 victims to address the trial of the alleged terrorists behind the attacks soon because of their advanced age.
Witnesses as young as 65 and as old as 83 could testify at the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his alleged co-conspirators.
According to CNN, prosecutors put in a request to the judge in the military tribunal to allow 10 family members of 9/11 victims to speak to the court in October.
Pre-trial proceedings began in 2012 at the U.S. Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and are still ongoing. No trial date or location has been set.
The network reports that the pre-trial phase could last 10 years.
"It is impossible to predict the life expectancy of any witness," the prosecutors wrote in a 15-page motion. "Evidence about the victim and about the impact of the murder on the victim's family and friends is relevant to the Commission Members' decision as to whether or not the death penalty should be imposed in this case."
One of the potential witnesses in the case is 74-year-old David Beamer.
His son Todd famously said, "Let's roll" to fellow passengers on United Airlines Flight 93 before they attempted to take control of the plane from the hijackers.
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PBS story last week reported that defense lawyers in the trial were not in favor of allowing the family members to address the court before the trial actually begins.