A military appeals court has ruled against Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's effort to throw out the plea deals reached for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other defendants in the 9/11 attacks. The decision Monday night puts back on track the agreements that would have the three men plead guilty in exchange for being spared the possibility of the death penalty. The Sept. 11, 2001, attacks by al-Qaida killed nearly 3,000 people. The military judge hearing the 9/11 case said Austin lacked standing to throw out the plea deals after they were underway. That had set up the Defense Department’s appeal to the military appeals court.
