Defense Secretary suddenly revokes plea deal with 9/11 conspirators
Aug 2, 2024, 7:10 PM | Updated: 7:55 pm
FILE- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind, is seen shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan Saturday March 1, 2003 in this photo obtained by the Associated Press. The man accused of being the main plotter in al-Qaeda's Sept. 11, 2001 attacks has agreed to plead guilty, The Defense Department said Wednesday. (AP Photo, FILE)
(AP Photo, FILE)
SALT LAKE CITY — The Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked the plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and alleged 9/ll accomplices.
This means the death penalty is back on the table for Mohammed and the two other alleged 9/11 accomplices.
According to a memo released Friday night by the Secretary of Defense, Austin relived the case from the current overseer of the case.
Austin reserved the authority for making re-trial agreements of this significants for himself.
Austin said that such a decision should rest with him, due to him being the superior convening authority.
The memo was addressed to overseer Susan Escallier, who is the convening authority for military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.
Austin designated Escallier to take over as convening authority for military commissions August of last year.
This is a breaking story and will be updated.
