A military judge ruled on Wednesday that plea agreements between the alleged 9/11 conspirators at Guantanamo Bay and the US government are “valid and enforceable,” a defense official told CNN – roughly three months after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the deals. The US reached a plea deal with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants accused of plotting the attacks in July after more than two years of negotiations. But just days later, Austin revoked the plea deals and yanked responsibility from the convening authority for military commissions who runs the military courts at Guantanamo. The defense official said that the government prosecutors in the 9/11 trials “did not expect” the judge’s ruling on Wednesday. Experts said this summer that the plea deal could have been the best option to avoid a long and drawn out trial against the conspirators, particularly Mohammed.

Source: CNN November 07, 2024 03:36 UTC