Plea deals for 9/11 terrorists back on after Pentagon loses appeal
Plea deals for three terrorists behind the 9/11 attacks are back in play after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin lost his bid to nix the disturbing agreements that would spare them the death penalty.
A military appeals court on Monday night ruled that Austin’s order this summer nullifying plea deals reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The terrorists’ defense attorneys argued that the secretary did not have the authority to overturn the agreements after they were already approved by the top authority of the Guantanamo Bay courts.
They further claimed that Austin’s order was unlawful interference in the case.
