Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin on Friday withdrew plea deals that would have spared the death penalty for the alleged mastermind and two accomplices of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Austin, 70, announced in the memo that he had removed from the agency the official responsible for signing the plea agreement and assumed authority over the military commission convening authority.
“I consider the importance of the decision to enter into a pretrial hearing.
“As the higher convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009, I am responsible for any settlements reached with the defendants in the cases above,” Austin wrote.
“I hereby revoke your authority with respect to the above matters immediately.
“I will enter into a pretrial agreement and reserve that authority to myself,” he continued.
“I hereby exercise my authority to immediately revoke the three pretrial agreements you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case.”
