The Biden-Harris administration has reversed its decision to offer a plea deal to the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and his co-conspirators, following intense bipartisan criticism.
The original deal, which was announced just two days prior to its revocation, would have spared the defendants the death penalty. However, the proposal was met with widespread outrage from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
In a memo issued on Friday, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin withdrew the plea deal, citing the significance of the case and the need for him to take personal responsibility for the decision. Austin assumed authority over the case, withdrawing the pre-trial agreements that had been reached with the three defendants.
The accused terrorists, who have been held at the Guantánamo Bay detention center since 2003, were set to plead guilty to all charges, including the murder of nearly 3,000 people, mostly Americans.
The decision to revoke the plea deal comes after Senator JD Vance (R-OH) strongly criticized the administration’s handling of the case. Vance, who is Donald Trump’s running mate, accused the Biden-Harris administration of being soft on terrorism and using the Department of Justice to target political opponents.
“Joe Biden and Kamala Harris have shown that they are more interested in negotiating with terrorists than in bringing them to justice,” Vance said at a rally on Wednesday. “We need a president who will take a strong stance against terrorism, not one who will cut deals with those who have committed heinous crimes.”
