Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has dramatically revoked a proposed plea deal for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks.
Austin said Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two accomplices were no longer eligible for life sentences in prison without the prospect of the death penalty in return for a guilty plea.
They were offered the deal just two days ago, on Wednesday, triggering widespread outrage.
Austin also relieved the official responsible for the plea deal of her duties. Retired Brigadier General Susan K Escallier will no longer oversea the case, with Austin himself assuming responsibility for it.
The development was first reported by The New York Times Friday evening.
Friday’s shock U-turn means Mohammed and his accomplices – Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi – could once again face the death penalty.
This Saturday March 1, 2003, shows Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind, shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan
Brigadier General (ret.) Susan K Escallier (left) offered the three suspects the plea deals Wednesday. She has now been taken off the case by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin (right)
Announcing the revocation of the plea deal, Austin told the Times that the high stakes nature of the case means ‘the responsibility for such a decision should rest with me.’
He added: ‘Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024.’
Wednesday’s plea deal announcement was the culmination of two years of negotiations between prosecutors and defense attorneys.
The case has been bogged down in pre-trial hearings since 2012.
All three suspects have been held in Guantanamo Bay since the early 2000s.
News of Wednesday’s plea deal left families of many of the 3,000 murdered in the September 2001 terror attacks ‘deeply troubled.’
Some were angered that the option to execute the suspected terrorists had been removed.
And many said they feared the deal means they’d never find out who was really behind the attacks on New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania, amid suspicions that Saudi Arabia was deeply-involved in the terror spectacular.
9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson told DailyMail.com in a statement that his group remains furious at the administration for keeping victims’ families in the dark.
Walid Bin Attash (left) and Mustafa al Hawasi (right) both now face new trials following the collapsed plea deal. They’ve been held in Guantanamo Bay since the early 2000s
Hijacked United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston crashes into the south tower of the World Trade Center and explodes at 9:03 a.m. on September 11. Close to 3,000 people were killed during the attacks on New York City, Washington DC and the downing of a United Airlines plane in a Pennsylvania field
‘We are astounded and deeply frustrated that our families were not consulted or even notified in advance of the plea deal or its subsequent revocation,’ Eagleson said.
‘These monsters need to be forced to share every piece of information they have about the attacks and be held fully accountable for the murder of our loved ones. It’s not just about punishment, it’s about uncovering the full truth,’ he added.
Eagleson hoped that the decision will ‘not hinder our efforts to hold those responsible, including the Saudi government, accountable for their roles in this horrific tragedy’ and demands ‘greater transparency and accountability’.
