- 9/11: Justice deal with defendants reversed in the US
After facing intense criticism, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reversed a deal between the Justice Department and the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and other co-defendants. The Pentagon announced the decision in a memorandum, relieving the overseer of the defense ministry of her duties "with immediate effect" and taking direct control of the case himself.
"I have determined that, given the significance of this decision, the responsibility for such a decision should rest with me," Austin explained in the order published on Friday evening (local time). This could once again make the death penalty a possibility for the defendants.
On September 11, 2001, around 3,000 people were killed in the worst terrorist attack in the United States to date. Islamic terrorists flew three hijacked passenger planes into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington. A fourth plane crashed in the state of Pennsylvania. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is considered the mastermind behind the attacks and is also said to have handled the communication and financing of the operation.
Sharp criticism of the deal
The US Department of Defense announced the controversial deal on Wednesday. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other suspects were said to be willing to reach an agreement with the justice system and plead guilty. The exact details were not made public at first, and the further procedure remained unclear.
The deal was met with incomprehension by both Republicans and some victims. Among others, James Comer, chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, sharply criticized the deal in a letter to US President Joe Biden, also demanding information on whether the government played a role in the negotiation of the deal. Biden's National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, denied this on Thursday in response to journalists' questions.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been imprisoned in the notorious US detention camp at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba for many years and would have avoided the death penalty through the deal, according to US media reports. Central to the deal were reportedly torture allegations against the USA. Legal experts warned that any confessions in a court trial could therefore be invalid.
However, Republicans immediately criticized the agreement. "This signals to our enemies that the United States is not prepared to take the toughest action against those who attack our country," Comer wrote. He also criticized the "complete lack of transparency." Similarly critical was his party colleague Mike Johnson, who chairs the House of Representatives: Biden's government had done the "unthinkable." The relatives of the victims "deserve better."
Firefighters feel betrayed
After the deal was announced, several first responders and relatives of victims spoke out in US media, expressing their disagreement with the deal. The union of New York firefighters stated that its members felt "betrayed and appalled."
Chalid Sheikh Mohammed was arrested in Pakistan in 2003. He was then interrogated by the U.S. intelligence agency, the CIA. According to a U.S. Senate report, he was tortured during these interrogations. In 2006, he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay, where he was to face a military tribunal. However, the trial against him and several co-defendants has been delayed for many years.
Following the critics' outcry, Representative James Comer, the chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, openly criticized President Biden and demanded clarification on the government's involvement in the deal negotiations. Furthermore, in response to the controversial deal, James Comer also accused the Biden administration of lacking transparency and signaling weakness to potential enemies.
