US Air Force colonel Matthew McCall, a defense judge, ruled on Wednesday that the plea agreements made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, and two co-defendants, Walid al Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are true. Military minister Lloyd Austin earlier this year overturned the contracts, which were negotiated to enable the plaintiffs to plead innocent in trade for avoiding the death penalty.
The verdict facilitates the three men’s imminent entry of guilty pleas, which would mean a significant step in the direction of the 9/11 problems ‘ long-running trial.
After being made public, the plea deals, which were first approved by government prosecutors and defense commission officials, faced backlash, which caused Austin to annul them. He argued that such appeal deals, especially in cases involving the death sentence, fell under his control. But, the judge disagreed, stating that Austin lacked the constitutional authority to reject the contracts.
McCall also criticized Austin’s schedule, noting that the Guantanamo appeal contracts had already been approved by the appropriate authorities. The prosecutor argued that the military judge’s authority to oversee the trials would be undermined by allowing defense secretaries to exercise “absolute reject energy” over any action.
The Pentagon has not yet made any more feedback regarding the judge’s ruling.
