US Supreme Court denies bid by 9/11 mastermind to revive plea deal
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others charged with involvement in the Sept 11, 2001 attacks struck pre-trial agreements to avoid the death penalty in 2024.
The United States Supreme Court has refused to revisit an appeal made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, and two other individuals charged with involvement in the incident. The trio had attempted to revive plea deals that were subsequently rescinded. Mohammed, also identified as KSM, was one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's key associates prior to his apprehension in Pakistan in March 2003.
The plea agreements, struck in 2024 under the presidency of Joe Biden, sought to avoid the death penalty. However, following objections from some victims' families, President Biden's Defense Secretary, Lloyd Austin, revoked the pleas, igniting a legal dispute regarding the legitimacy of such an action. An earlier appellate court had determined that Austin's decision was within his legal rights.
The Supreme Court's brief, unsigned opinion on Monday announced its decision not to address the appeal. The three individuals are among the limited number of detainees held at the infamous Guantanamo Bay U.S. military base in Cuba and are scheduled to stand trial in June 2028. Legal arguments in their cases have primarily centered on the fairness of their trials, given that they have endured torture by the CIA.
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