Death Penalty Back on Table for 9/11 Plotters After Defense Secretary Reverses Plea Deals

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced Friday that the death penalty is once again a possibility for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, and two of his co-defendants. This decision comes after Austin took direct oversight of the case and withdrew the plea deals signed earlier in the week.

Reversal of Plea Deals

In a memo, Austin stated his decision to remove retired Brig. Gen. Susan K. Escallier from overseeing the cases and revoked the pretrial agreements that had removed the death penalty possibility for Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.

Backlash Prompted Decision

The announcement of the plea deals on Wednesday night sparked immediate and severe backlash from various groups, including 9/11 families, Republican lawmakers, and the New York City firefighters union, which lost over 340 members in the attacks. The outrage centered on the belief that justice was being undermined for the approximately 3,000 victims who perished in the deadliest terrorist attack on U.S. soil. Under Mohammed’s alleged direction, hijackers flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon, and a fourth plane crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers intervened.

Austin’s Justification

Austin justified his decision by highlighting the significance of the decision to enter into pretrial agreements with the accused. “I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pretrial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009,” Austin wrote in the memo.

Next Steps

This reversal places the death penalty back on the table as a potential outcome for the accused, signaling a renewed pursuit of the harshest possible punishment for those allegedly responsible for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks. The decision underscores the gravity with which the U.S. government continues to treat the case and the ongoing quest for justice by those affected by the tragic events of that day.