Divided US Appeals Court Tosses Plea Deal for Accused Sept. 11 Mastermind

In a 2–1 ruling, the court said that the Pentagon chief has the authority to override plea deals that would have spared the death penalty.

This Monday, Dec. 8, 2008 courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin and reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, center, and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash, left, attending a pre-trial session at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba. Janet Hamlin, Pool/AP Photo

A federal appeals court on Friday threw out a deal that would have allowed the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks to plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment.

The deal, negotiated over two years and approved one year ago by military prosecutors and the Pentagon’s senior official for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, stipulated life sentences without parole for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, a Pakistani national who was a leader of terrorist group al-Qaeda, and two co-defendants.