A Pentagon appeals court has upheld controversial plea deals for three men accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, clearing the way for the US government to proceed with the agreements, reported The Washington Post.
The court’s unanimous ruling, delivered late Monday, rejected efforts by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to block the deals. Austin had attempted to nullify the agreements in August, despite a judge’s previous approval of the terms.
The plea deals involve Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and his two co-conspirators, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. Under the agreements, the men are set to serve life sentences in exchange for admitting their involvement in the al-Qaeda plot that resulted in the deaths of 2,977 individuals.
The deadly 9/11 attacks saw hijackers crash two planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City, a third into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia, and a fourth intended for a federal government building in Washington, D.C., which instead crashed in a Pennsylvania field.
Secretary Austin had argued that the families of 9/11 victims and those impacted by the subsequent wars deserved to see the men face trial. However, the appeals court ruled that Austin could not block plea deals already approved. The court emphasized that the defendants’ admissions of guilt would effectively negate any potential new trials.
A senior Defense Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that both the Defense and Justice Departments are reviewing the ruling and considering their options. On Tuesday, the US government filed a motion to delay the plea agreements until January 27, allowing officials time to determine whether to pursue further legal action. A motions hearing in Mohammed’s case is set for January 6.
The appeals court’s decision upholds a prior ruling by Air Force Colonel Matthew McCall, a military commission judge, who concluded in November that the plea deals were valid. McCall further argued that allowing Austin to rescind them would give him an “absolute veto” over decisions made by the officer appointed to oversee the cases.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, one of the most notorious terrorists, was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in March 2003, and subsequently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where he has remained since.
(Inputs from ANI)
