US military court clears way for possible plea deals for 9/11 suspects
Al Jazeera
Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin has sought to throw out a possible deal in a case complicated by accusations of CIA torture.
A United States military appeals court has denied an effort by Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin to throw out possible plea deals for the alleged mastermind of the attacks on September 11, 2001, and his two co-conspirators.
The deals could see the three men — Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi — plead guilty to the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. In exchange, they would be spared the possibility of the death penalty.
A plea hearing for Mohammed, who is accused of orchestrating the killings, is set for next week.
The New York Times and Associated Press both reported on Monday night that the military appeals court had ruled against Austin.
The decision upheld a previous judgement from a military judge, Colonel Matthew McCall, who ruled that Austin lacked the standing to throw out the plea bargains following their initial approval.
