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A federal court canceled a plea deal for an alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and co-defendants, extending the case.
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On Friday, a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. tossed out a plea deal that would have spared
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the lives of the alleged masterminds behind al-Qaeda's attacks on September 11, 2001
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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants would have received life sentences without the
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possibility of parole rather than the death penalty in an agreement between the prosecution
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and defense that was worked out over a period of two years. The U.S. military has been trying to
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prosecute Mohammed and the other defendants for more than 20 years. However, the legal process
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has been slow and complicated as there have been many legal challenges. Under the Biden
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administration, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rejected the proposed plea deal, arguing the
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defense secretary should have the authority to decide whether execution should be considered
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in a case as serious as the September 11th attacks. In December, a military appeals court
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ruled against Austin's attempt to cancel the plea deal. And then on Friday, a three-judge panel with
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the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia sided with Austin in a 2-1 decision
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ruling that he did have the authority to cancel the agreement. Mohamed's defense lawyers argue
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that some of the evidence was obtained through torture, questioning if the evidence is legal
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or ethical to use in court. Mohamed is accused of being the person who planned and oversaw the 9-11
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terror attacks when hijackers crash planes into the World Trade Center towers in New York City
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the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and another one into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers
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tried to retake control from the hijackers. For Straight Arrow News, I'm Lauren Keenan
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If you want more on this story, download the Straight Arrow News app or visit san.com
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