Biden Administration Temporarily Blocks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Plea Deal
The Biden administration succeeded on Thursday in temporarily halting a plea agreement for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Mohammed’s plea would have spared him the death penalty in exchange for life imprisonment and cooperation.
A three-judge appeals panel delayed Mohammed’s guilty plea, which was set for Friday in a military commission at Guantanamo Bay. The decision reflects ongoing legal and logistical challenges in prosecuting Mohammed and his co-defendants, more than 20 years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The Biden administration has taken the unusual step of opposing a plea deal previously negotiated by the Department of Defense. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has argued that decisions about the death penalty in cases as severe as 9/11 should be made at the highest levels of government. The plea agreement, negotiated over two years, included life sentences without parole for Mohammed and two co-defendants and their commitment to answering questions from victims’ families.
Some families of 9/11 victims supported the plea agreement, viewing it as the best way to achieve closure. Elizabeth Miller, who lost her father, firefighter Douglas Miller, expressed frustration with the administration’s actions, calling the deal a path to “finality.” However, others, like Gordon Haberman, whose daughter Andrea was killed at the World Trade Center, welcomed the decision, hoping it would lead to a full trial.
The case has been mired in complications, including issues surrounding the torture of Mohammed and other defendants during their detention by the CIA. This has raised questions about the admissibility of their statements in court.
The Biden administration’s push to block the plea deal puts it at odds with U.S. military officials overseeing Guantanamo cases. Defense attorneys argue that the government’s actions undermine years of negotiation and that Austin’s intervention lacks legal authority.
The court will consider further arguments on January 22, ensuring the legal battle will continue into 2025. For now, Mohammed’s trial remains in pretrial hearings, with no date set for resolution.
