A military judge ruled Wednesday that the plea deal that spared the death penalty for 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other terrorists remains valid.
The surprising move comes three months after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin rescinded the shocking plea deal a military commission had awarded Muhammad and two of his alleged accomplices in July.
The order, issued by an Air Force colonel and Judge Matthew McCall at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was first reported by the Associated Press but has not yet been made public.
Families of the victims of the brutal terrorist attack, which killed nearly 3,000 people, were furious at the judge's ruling.
Former police officer Jimmy Smith, whose wife Moira was murdered on September 11, 2001, posted: “I am outraged that this judge is overturning his decision and allowing these defendants to take plea deals.'' told the paper.
“They committed the greatest crime in this country and should receive the worst punishment, in this case the death penalty,” Smith argued. “Also, I don't believe in coincidence, but they waited until after the election to announce this decision. They reversed it earlier to help Democrats in the election.”
Dan Dallara, the twin brother of NYPD officer John Dallara who was killed on 9/11, told the Post that President-elect Donald Trump will use his executive authority to ensure that Muhammad and his accomplices are put to death. He said it should be done.
“The first executive order that President Trump must sign is an executive order to execute five admitted 9/11 plotters,” Dallara said. “They are cowards who killed so many innocent people that day and will continue to kill people in the future.”
Patrick Hendry, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, called Wednesday's ruling “shameful” and called for an immediate resolution.
“This is yet another shameful development in a case that has gone too far,” Mr Hendry said. “The cycle of re-victimizing our heroic 9/11 families must end. Our government must find a way to fix this immediately.”
“The judiciary cannot wait any longer,” he added.
And Port Authority PBA Chairman Frank Conti said McCall's ruling “once again denies justice to the families of 37 Port Authority police officers and the families of the 2,939 additional people killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.” It's a thing,” he said.
“Everyone should remember that the murderers of 9/11 showed no such sympathy for those killed by their evil.”
The pretrial agreement regarding Mr. Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the al-Qaeda attack, and his two alleged co-conspirators, Walid Mohammed Salih Mubarak bin Atash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi, is not guilty. In exchange for his plea, he will be spared the death penalty. Part of the government's long-term effort to prosecute terrorist suspects.
The three have been held at the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay since 2003.
The agreement, first proposed by the military commission in July, sparked outrage among families of 9/11 victims and survivors of the attacks, with many condemning it as a miscarriage of justice and an allegation of 9/11 collusion. They wanted those accused to be punished. Trial.
Austin, 70, later announced that he would remove the officials responsible for signing the widely criticized plea deal from the agency and instead assert his own authority over the matter.
“Not a day goes by that I don't think about 9/11 and the Americans killed on that day. Also, those who died trying to save lives and the troops who did so much for this country in the years that followed. and their families as well.”
Austin spoke to reporters about his decision. “I am deeply mindful of my obligation to all those whose lives were lost or forever changed on 9/11, and that no measure of justice can make up for their loss. I fully understand.”
“So this was not a decision that I made lightly, but the families of the victims, the service members, and the American people will have the opportunity to see the military commission, the commission trial that was held in this case. “I have long believed that we deserve it,” he said. Added.
Lawyers for the terrorist suspects slammed the Defense Secretary's move as “fraudulent” and said it had been “years in the making” and was done in “good faith.”
“There was an unprecedented act by a government official to rescind what was a valid agreement,” Al-Hawsawi's lawyer Walter Lewis said during a hearing at Guantanamo Bay. According to CNN.
“For us, this raises very serious questions about continuing to engage in a system that clearly appears corrupt and rigged,” he added.
Cathy Viggiano, a former police officer and widow of Detective Joseph Viggiano, who died on 9/11, told the Post that while she doesn't know if the terrorist suspects will receive the death penalty, she now hopes at least that they will. He said he is doing so. Locked up for life.
“I can't believe this terrorist won't get the death penalty,” Viggiano said. “I just hope they can save their lives without the possibility of parole.”
This is a developing story. Please check back for more information.
