Military Judge Revives Plea Deal for Accused 9/11 Mastermind

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be allowed to plead guilty and avoid the death penalty.

A judge has reportedly reinstated the plea deals negotiated for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohamed and two other co-defendants—meaning they will no longer face the death penalty for terrorism and other charges related to the attack that took place over 20 years ago, according to a new report. The order was issued by Air Force Col. Matthew McCall, a Guantanamo Bay judge, and has not been released to the public yet, sources told the Associated Press. The deal would have allowed Mohammed and his co-defendants to plead guilty to the charges, which include 2,976 murder charges for each individual killed on 9/11, and avoid the death penalty; ending the decades-long fight to hold the planners of the attack accountable. Prosecutors originally struck the deals with Mohammed and his co-defendants due to concerns that a death penalty sentence would not be possible due to his alleged torture while in CIA custody, sources told the Daily Beast at the time. However, the deals were revoked by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin just two days later.