A military appeals court has reinstated please deals for three key figures behind the September 11 attacks, rejecting an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin that sought to nullify the agreements.
The court’s decision, issued Monday night, affects Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. The plea agreements, which would spare the men from the death penalty, had been approved earlier by the Guantanamo Bay courts’ top authority.
Defense attorneys argued that Austin overstepped his authority by attempting to revoke the deals after their approval, calling the move an unlawful interference in the case.
