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Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin on Friday scrapped a plea deal for three suspects behind the September 11, 2001 attacks read more
 "Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin scraps plea deal for 9/11 suspects, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed")
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged September 11 mastermind, is seen shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan, March 1, 2003 in this photo. File Image/AP
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked a plea deal agreed to earlier this week with the man accused of masterminding the deadly 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and two of his accomplices, according to a memorandum signed by Austin on Friday (August 2).
The decision was made two days after the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, revealed that retired Brig. Gen. Susan Escallier, overseeing the war court, had approved plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accused accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, in connection with the attacks.
What Lloyd Austin said about his decision
“I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused… responsibility for such a decision should rest with me,” Austin said in a memorandum addressed to Susan Escallier, who oversaw the military court at Guantanamo Bay.
“I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case,” the memo said, referring to Mohammed and two alleged accomplices.
A case in limbo
For over two decades, the cases against the 9/11 suspects has been bogged down in pre-trial maneuverings. The accused Khalid Sheikh Mohammed remained held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.
It was only on Wednesday (July 31) that agreements with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices was announced. That development had appeared to have moved their long-running cases toward resolution. However, it had led to anger and backlash from some relatives of those killed in the attacks.
The issue was swiftly politicised, with Republicans rushing to fault Joe Biden’s administration for the now-revoked plea deal. The White House, however, said that it had no knowledge of the deal. The comment came after the announcement of the plea bargain was already made on Wednesday.
With inputs from agencies
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English (US) ·