The Biden administration was handed a big defeat after a military court ruled against plans to throw out plea deals for the September 11, 2001 terrorist ‘masterminds.’
Now, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his accomplices – Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi – could be spared the death penalty.
The military appeals court reportedly published its ruling on Monday evening, which opens the door to the plea deals being finalized.
Months ago, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dramatically revoked the proposed plea deals for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks following blowback.
The Biden administration had struck a deal with Mohammed and his two accomplices to get life sentences in prison without the prospect of the death penalty in return for a guilty plea.
But it triggered widespread outrage from 9/11 victims’ families and lawmakers.
As a result, Austin placed the blame for the plea deal on retired Brigadier General Susan K Escallier – whom he fired form the case and took it over himself.
Announcing the revocation of the plea deal, Austin said that the high stakes nature of the case means ‘the responsibility for such a decision should rest with me.’
He added: ‘Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024.’
The plea deal announcement was the culmination of two years of negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys.
The case has been bogged down in pre-trial hearings since 2012.
All three suspects have been held in Guantanamo Bay since the early 2000s.
News of Wednesday’s plea deal left families of many of the 3,000 murdered in the September 2001 terror attacks ‘deeply troubled.’
Some were angered that the option to execute the suspected terrorists had been removed.
And many said they feared the deal means they’d never find out who was really behind the attacks on New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, amid suspicions that Saudi Arabia was deeply-involved in the terror spectacular.
9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson told DailyMail.com in a statement that his group remains furious at the administration for keeping victims’ families in the dark.
‘We are astounded and deeply frustrated that our families were not consulted or even notified in advance of the plea deal or its subsequent revocation,’ Eagleson said.
‘These monsters need to be forced to share every piece of information they have about the attacks and be held fully accountable for the murder of our loved ones. It’s not just about punishment, it’s about uncovering the full truth,’ he added.
Eagleson hoped that the decision will ‘not hinder our efforts to hold those responsible, including the Saudi government, accountable for their roles in this horrific tragedy’ and demands ‘greater transparency and accountability’.