US military court restores plea deals for 9/11 defendants, sparing them from death penalty

In the United States, a military appeals court has ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's effort to throw out plea agreements for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants accused in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

The decision will put back on track plea deals that would see the men plead guilty to the horrific September 11 attack and avoid potential death penalties.

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The plea deals, and Austin's attempt to nullify them

Late last summer, plea deals for Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attacks, and two co-defendants — Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi — were announced. These deals were reached by the Military prosecutors and defense attorneys after two years of government-approved negotiations.

Military prosecutors had struck the deals to ensure some resolution, given that evidence extracted through torture during CIA interrogations in the first year after the men's detention may taint the proceedings. 

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However, shortly after their announcement, Austin attempted to nullify the plea deals, asserting the severity of the 9/11 attacks required his oversight as the defence secretary of any arrangements that could spare the defendants the possibility of a death penalty. 

Defense lawyers argued that Austin's move was an overreach and amounted to unlawful interference in the military commission's jurisdiction. 

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Military Judge Col. Matthew McCall agreed, ruling that Austin lacked the authority to overturn decisions already approved by the Guantánamo court's top official. Austin can now approach the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit to throw out the deals.

The attacks, carried out by al-Qaida, killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped US foreign policy, leading to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

(With inputs from agencies)