US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has annulled a recently reached plea agreement involving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two alleged accomplices of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
This decision reinstates the death penalty as a potential outcome for the defendants, according to media reports.
Earlier this week, the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, announced the plea deals.
The agreement had granted the accused life sentences without parole, but officials have now revoked it.
Austin’s order, released late Friday, asserts that the gravity of the case necessitates his direct oversight.
In a memorandum addressed to Susan Escallier, who managed the case, Austin emphasized that the authority to approve such significant pre-trial agreements lies with me.
The memorandum formally invalidates the agreements signed on 31 July 2024.
Some victims’ families criticized the plea deal, arguing it prevented a full trial and the imposition of the death penalty.
Republicans Criticize Biden Administration Over Plea Deal, White House Claims Ignorance
The decision also drew sharp criticism from Republicans, who blamed the Biden administration for the agreement, though the White House claimed ignorance of the deal prior to its announcement.
Mohammed and his co-defendants were likely to formally plead under the deal next week.
The case, which has been mired in pre-trial proceedings since 2008, has been significantly delayed due to the defendants’ torture while in CIA custody.
This has complicated the admissibility of evidence and left the future of the trials uncertain.
Austin’s decision moves the case back into a contentious legal and political arena, with significant implications for justice in this high-profile US legal case.
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