Military Judge Upholds 9/11 Plea Deals

A U.S. military judge has reinstated plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and two co-defendants, ruling that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin lacked the authority to cancel them. The plea deals, which remove the death penalty as a sentencing option in exchange for guilty pleas, were initially agreed upon in July but revoked by Austin amid public outrage from victims' families. Judge Matthew McCall emphasized that the Defense Secretary's intervention undermined the independence of military commission officials. The Pentagon is currently reviewing the ruling, which could expedite the long-delayed prosecution of the defendants, who have been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2008. Some victim families continue to oppose the plea deals, seeking trials that could lead to capital punishment. The ruling marks a significant development in a case that has faced years of legal complexities and public scrutiny.