Plea Deals for Accused 9/11 Plotters Are Valid, Judge Rules

Politics|Plea Deals for Accused 9/11 Plotters Are Valid, Judge Rules

A subject justice ruled connected Wednesday that plea agreements successful the Sept. 11 lawsuit were valid, reviving the anticipation that the antheral accused of readying the attacks, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and 2 accused accomplices could yet beryllium sentenced to beingness successful situation alternatively of death.

Col. Matthew N. McCall, the judge, ruled that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III acted excessively precocious and beyond the scope of his authorization erstwhile helium rescinded the 3 abstracted pretrial agreements connected Aug. 2, 2 days aft a elder Pentagon appointee signed them.

Colonel McCall said helium would determination guardant with having Mr. Mohammed and 2 different defendants, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, look earlier his tribunal to participate their pleas, separately. But helium acceptable nary timetable, possibly to springiness prosecutors clip to determine whether to appeal.

The determination was the latest to inject uncertainty into the long-running case astatine Guantánamo Bay against Mr. Mohammed and 4 others who were charged successful 2012 with conspiring successful the attacks that killed astir 3,000 radical connected Sept. 11, 2001.

Prosecutors disclosed the woody with 3 of the defendants this summer. They said it was meant to bring immoderate “finality and justice” to the case, which had been mired successful litigation implicit the C.I.A.’s torture of the defendants and different issues.

Prosecutors and the bureau of the caput of defence had nary contiguous remark connected whether the authorities would appeal. Rear Adm. Aaron C. Rugh, the main authoritative for subject commissions, said his squad was “discussing adjacent steps.”