US court rejects plea deal for '9/11 mastermind' Khalil Sheikh Mohammed

July 11, 2025

A federal appeals court has invalidated a plea deal that would have allowed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 co-defendants to avoid the death penalty in exchange for guilty pleas. The agreement, which was rejected in a 2-1 decision, would have granted the defendants life sentences without parole and required Mohammed to truthfully answer questions from victims' families. This ruling upholds Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's earlier decision to overrule the deal, which had been negotiated over two years and initially approved by military prosecutors and Pentagon officials at Guantanamo Bay.

Who is affected

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 co-defendants
Families of the nearly 3,000 victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks
Military prosecutors and Pentagon officials involved in the case
The American public (mentioned as stakeholders in the judgment)

What action is being taken

A federal appeals court is rejecting the plea agreement in a 2-1 decision
Pre-trial hearings continue after more than a decade of proceedings
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is asserting his authority as the sole figure who can enter such agreements
The case is proceeding through the military commission system at Guantanamo Bay

Why it matters

The ruling determines whether Mohammed and co-defendants will face the death penalty or receive life imprisonment
It affects whether families of 9/11 victims will have the opportunity to question Mohammed and receive answers about the attacks
The decision impacts how evidence potentially tainted by torture will be handled in the case
It represents a significant development in a legal process that has already stretched over two decades since the attacks

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: BBC