In a move that could help bring an end to the September 11th terrorism case, which has dragged on for more than two decades without going to trial, a federal appeals court may issue a ruling today on whether alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants can plead guilty at a U.S. military court in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
An admission of guilt -- reached in the final days of the Biden administration as it races to shrink Guantánamo's prison population before leaving office -- would let Mohammed and his accomplices forgo a trial and escape the risk of the death penalty. Instead, they would receive sentences of up to life in prison. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin opposes those deals, saying the case should proceed to trial.
The appeals court ruling would be the latest development in a complicated legal saga that began in summer 2024, when the military court announced a huge breakthrough in the stalled case: It had reached plea deals with the 9/11 defendants following more than two years of negotiations. Yet 48 hours later, Austin shocked the Guantánamo community by reversing those deals.
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