Defense department revokes plea deal for alleged 9/11 mastermind

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - A late Friday evening letter from Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin reversed an agreement between prosecutors and the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, putting the death penalty back on the table.

Austin sent a memo to Susan Escallier, the convening authority for military commissions on Friday. The letter withdrew the United States from agreements reached between the U.S. and Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and two other accused terrorists.

The agreement would have taken away the option for the death penalty for the accused terrorists, in exchange for their guilty plea. Now, with Austin’s reversal, the death penalty is an option for Mohammad.

“That is the punishment that fits the crime when you murder nearly 3,000 Americans on American soil,” said Terry Strada, the Chair of 9/11 Families United.

Strada’s husband was killed in one of the Twin Towers on Sept. 11.

“He boasted about it. He has said if he had the opportunity to do it again, he would,” Strada said. “So to plead guilty was nothing special, because he never denied it.”

The ACLU, who is representing Mohammad, said they would fight Austin’s reversal.

“If he doesn’t reverse course, we will see him in court,” said Yasmin Cader, ACLU Deputy Legal Director. “We were at a place where we’re reaching a guilty verdict, where we have a guarantee of a 2,976-year sentence for our client.”

Cader added prosecutors likely made the agreement to avoid trial because of the U.S. government’s use of torture.

“The United States’ torture of our client has more than complicated, has invalidated much of the evidence that is on the ground,” Cader said.

Strada said she, and her organization, will continue to fight for the death penalty.

Last week, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House played no role in the process for the plea agreement for Mohammad.