Controversial 9/11 terrorist plea deals involving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed are being restored, according to a report.
If the deal is approved, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will avoid the death penalty.
A military judge has decided to reconsider plea deals for 9/11 terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, despite an order from Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin to proceed with the original plan.
On Wednesday, an anonymous official informed the Associated Press that Air Force Col. and Judge Matthew McCall made the decision to reinstate the deals, but the U.S. military has not yet announced the ruling.
Earlier this summer, the plea deals in the long-running case against the terrorists were struck, and the defendants, who are incarcerated in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had their deals approved by the top official of the Gitmo military commission.
If the plea bargains are accepted, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the suspected mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and two co-defendants would receive life imprisonment instead of the death penalty by pleading guilty.
In July, the Pentagon revoked the plea deals that had been condemned by a number of 9/11 victims and U.S. politicians.
"With immediate effect, I am withdrawing from the three pretrial agreements you signed on July 31, 2024," Austin writes in a letter.
The Biden administration has distanced itself from the agreements, with Pentagon officials stating in July that Austin was taken aback by the news of the deals.
"At the time, Sabrina Singh, the Pentagon press secretary, stated that the secretary was not consulted on this matter and that they were unaware of the plea agreement terms entered by the prosecution or defense."
Earlier this year, Terry Strada, the national chair of 9/11 Families United, criticized the plea bargains to Planet Chronicle Digital.
""The people responsible for murder should face charges, trial, and punishment, not be allowed to call the shots," Strada said."
Planet Chronicle Digital reached out to the Pentagon for comment.
This report was contributed to by Louis Casiano of Planet Chronicle Digital and the Associated Press.
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