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D.C. Court Upholds Cancellation of 9/11 Plea Deals
A federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., has upheld the cancellation of plea agreements for three men accused of plotting the September 11th terrorist attacks. The 2-1 decision affirms former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s authority to rescind the deals, which would have spared the alleged plotters, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, from the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. The men are being held at Guantanamo Bay.
The plea agreements were reached last summer by military prosecutors and approved by a military court, but Secretary Austin withdrew them just two days later, preferring to pursue a trial and the possibility of capital punishment. Defense attorneys argued Austin overstepped his authority by rejecting terms he simply disliked, but the court ultimately sided with the government.
This decision marks another turn in the two-decade-long legal battle surrounding the 9/11 attacks. Defense attorneys now have the option to appeal to the full D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court.