A US military judge ruled on Wednesday to reinstate plea deals for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, deeming the agreements “valid and enforceable” despite Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s attempt to revoke them.
As Valuetainment previously reported, the controversial agreements were first offered to Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi in July, taking the death penalty off the table in exchange for their pleas. All three suspected terrorists have been detained at Guantanamo Bay since 2008 in connection with the 9/11 attacks.
Learn more about the all-new VT News and subscribe today!
Following public outrage and statements from the families of the 2,976 victims of the attack, Secretary Austin revoked the deals two days after they were offered.
However, in his ruling, Air Force Col. and Judge Matthew McCall determined that Austin lacked the authority to cancel the agreements. The decision challenges Austin’s intervention, asserting it came too late, and underscores concerns over the limits of the Defense Secretary’s power over military commissions.
The plea deals had been initially agreed upon after extensive negotiations and would have resolved the numerous legal and procedural hurdles that have prevented the cases from going to trial, particularly the alleged use of medical torture by the CIA in the years after 9/11.
The Pentagon is currently reviewing the judge’s decision, which has yet to be publicly posted.
Add comment