A US military judge has upheld plea agreements for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, ruling the deals are binding despite an earlier revocation by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin. The plea agreements, which remove the possibility of the death penalty, could expedite the cases of the three defendants after years of delays.
The agreements with Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi were originally announced in July but were quickly scrapped by Austin, who cited the need for public trials. Military judge Colonel Matthew McCall found that the plea deals, signed by then-Defense official Susan Escallier, constitute “enforceable contracts.” The Pentagon may appeal the decision.
The ruling could lead to plea hearings and potentially close the decades-long cases that have drawn out as attorneys debated whether the men could receive fair trials following allegations of torture by the CIA. Guantanamo Bay, where the men are held, was created to detain alleged terrorists while bypassing US legal protections.
The ruling has sparked renewed debate over the legacy of Guantanamo Bay and the US’s handling of post-9/11 detainees.