The plea deals for sparing the death penalty from 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other terrorists reinstated by a military judge on Wednesday, Nov. 6, infuriated families of the victims.
Associated Press reported that in Wednesday’s ruling, Air Force Col. and Judge Matthew McCall ruled contrary to an order by US Defence Secretary Llyod J Austin earlier this year.
The chief prosecutor of the Gitmo military commission at the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, signed the deals off.
In late July, the Pentagon announced that plea deals had been reached with the three, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, but two days later, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin withdrew them.
“Effective immediately, under the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024,” Austin’s letter said.
In case the plea bargains pull through, the main architect of the heinous crime, along with two others, would not face the death penalty. The plea was highly criticized in July by several victims and politicians in the US.
Speaking with Fox News, the national chair of 9/11 Families United, Terry Strada, was ‘ livid’ over the plea bargains, explaining, “The terrorists committed this heinous crime against the United States. They should have faced the charges, trial, and punishment. Since when do the people responsible for murder get to call the shots?”
