Austin Revokes Plea Deal for 9/11 Suspects

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices of the September 11 attacks, reinstating the possibility of the death penalty. This decision comes after a pretrial agreement was reached earlier this week, which would have allowed the defendants to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences, effectively removing the death penalty as an option. Austin's memorandum indicated that he would assume direct oversight of the case, previously handled by Brig. Gen. Susan Escallier, as he deemed the decision too significant to delegate. Families of the nearly 3,000 victims expressed outrage over the initial plea deal, which had drawn bipartisan criticism in Congress. The Pentagon's move marks a notable shift in the handling of this high-profile case. The situation is developing, and further updates are expected.