independent.co.uk
9/11 Plea Deals Upheld
A military judge upheld plea agreements for 9/11 defendants, defying the Defense Secretary's order to nullify them.
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United Kingdom
PoliticsJusticeUs PoliticsMilitaryUkTerrorismMilitary TechnologyLaw
PentagonCiaU.s. MilitaryAl-QaidaThe Associated Press
Khalid Sheikh MohammedWalid Bin AttashMustafa Al-HawsawiLloyd AustinMatthew Mccall
- What will the defendants receive in exchange for their guilty pleas?
- The plea agreements would spare Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi from the death penalty in exchange for guilty pleas to their involvement in the 9/11 attacks.
- What is the significance of the judge's ruling concerning the Defense Secretary's authority?
- The judge's ruling, which concludes that Austin lacked the legal authority to overturn the plea deals, prevents the defense secretary from having "absolute veto power" over the proceedings.
- What was the political reaction to the plea agreements, and how did it influence the process?
- Republican lawmakers and others immediately criticized the plea deals upon their release this summer, leading Defense Secretary Austin to attempt to reverse them, creating one of the most fraught episodes in the U.S. prosecution of the 9/11 attacks.
- What are the potential implications of the judge's ruling and possible future challenges to this process?
- The ruling means the three defendants could soon enter guilty pleas, potentially concluding a lengthy and legally troubled prosecution. However, legal experts question whether a trial and possible death sentences could ever realistically occur given procedural challenges and the potential for appeals.
- What was the outcome of the military judge's ruling regarding the plea agreements of the 9/11 defendants?
- A military judge ruled that the plea agreements reached between Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants are valid, overruling Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's order to nullify them.