Appeals Court Upholds Deal That Removes Death Penalty for Alleged 9/11 Mastermind

The court rejected military efforts to rescind the deals offered to three men allegedly involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin attends a Rose Garden at the White House, on May 25, 2023. Madalina Vasiliu/The Epoch Times

The U.S. Department of Defense’s appeals court has turned down the Pentagon’s attempt to rescind the plea deals for the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and several alleged accomplices, paving the way for the men to avoid the death penalty.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin did not have the authority to rescind the deals, a panel of judges on the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review said in the Dec. 30 ruling.