US Supreme Court declines to hear appeals over 9/11 case plea deals — The Hill

The US Supreme Court declined to hear appeals by three men accused of preparing the September 11, 2001 attacks. They sought to reinstate plea agreements with the prosecution, but the justices rejected their petitions without explaining the reasons, The Hill reports.

The agreements provided for avoiding the death penalty

The appeals were filed by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his alleged accomplices, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash. Under the agreements, they were to plead guilty and provide detailed accounts of their roles in the attacks. In exchange, prosecutors would not seek the death penalty for them.

A Pentagon official approved the agreements at the end of July 2024. Two days later, then-US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revoked them after criticism from some families of the attack victims.

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The appeals court ruling remains in force

A military judge had previously ruled that Austin withdrew the agreements too late because the defendants had already begun fulfilling their obligations. A panel of military appellate judges upheld that decision. However, the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit later concluded that Austin acted within his authority when he revoked the agreements.

Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not take part in considering the petitions of Mohammed and al-Hawsawi. The three defendants are being held at Guantanamo prison; their joint military trial is scheduled for early June 2028. The proceedings have been postponed repeatedly.