US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin overturned plea deals for 9/11 attack mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants, reinstating them as death-penalty cases. This decision follows backlash from victims' families and Republican lawmakers. Austin reserved authority for pre-trial agreements, citing the decision's significance. The move highlights ongoing challenges in prosecuting 9/11 suspects, the political sensitivity of these cases, and their enduring impact on US policy and national security.
#september11 #terrorism #nyc #lloydAustin #JoeBiden #Pentagon #September11Attack #Worldnews #USnews #Oneindia #Oneindianews
~HT.97~PR.320~ED.101~
#september11 #terrorism #nyc #lloydAustin #JoeBiden #Pentagon #September11Attack #Worldnews #USnews #Oneindia #Oneindianews
~HT.97~PR.320~ED.101~
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has overturned plea deals for the alleged mastermind of the
00:26September 11, 2001 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and the other two defendants.
00:32This decision effectively reinstates these as death penalty cases, marking a dramatic
00:37shift in the long-running legal proceedings related to the 9-11 attacks.
00:43The plea deal, which was announced earlier this week, had been reached by the official
00:47appointed to oversee the war court.
00:51These agreements involved Mohammed and his alleged accomplices, Walid bin Attash and
00:56Mustafa al-Hafsawi.
00:57However, the deals faced immediate backlash, particularly from the families of nearly 3,000
01:04victims of the 9-11 attack.
01:07These families expressed outrage at the prospect of cutting off any possibility of the full
01:12trial and potential death penalties for the accused.
01:16And so, in response to this controversy, Secretary Austin took the extraordinary step to reserve
01:22himself the specific authority to enter into the pre-trial agreement in the 9-11 military
01:27commission cases.
01:29In a memo released on Friday night, Austin cited the significance of the decision as
01:34the reason for assuming personal authority over these agreements.
01:39He then proceeded to withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that had been previously
01:43approved.
01:45The move also comes amid the backdrop of a complex and prolonged legal process.
01:50The military commission, overseeing the cases of the five defendants in the September 11
01:55attack, has been mired in pre-trial hearings and other preliminary court actions since
02:002008, highlighting the challenges in bringing these cases to trial.
02:05The decision also reflects the political sensitivity surrounding the 9-11 controversy.
02:12Many Republican lawmakers, including House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader
02:17Mitch McConnell, had strongly criticized the plea deals.
02:21Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, described by the U.S. as the primary plotter of the attack, remains
02:25the most notorious inmate at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility.
02:30The attack themselves, which involved hijacked commercial aircraft flown into the World Trade
02:34Center and the Pentagon, not only resulted in massive loss of life but also plunged the
02:39United States into a two-decade-long war with Afghanistan, of which there was no clear outcome.
02:47For more UN videos visit www.un.org