Pentagon Chief Revokes Plea Deals for 9/11 Mastermind

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked plea deals for the key suspects in the Sept. 11 attacks, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The decision, taken by Austin after being caught by surprise, means they could now face a death penalty trial. The move has drawn criticism from various quarters.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was caught by surprise by a defense official's decision to agree to plea deals with the man accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks, along with two of his accomplices, the Pentagon said on Monday.

On Friday, Austin revoked the plea deals for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others and relieved Susan Escallier, who oversees the Pentagon's Guantanamo war court, of her authority to enter into pre-trial agreements in the case, taking on the responsibility himself. Austin's move means that the three could eventually face a death penalty trial.

"The secretary was certainly surprised, as we all were," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said. Singh added that Austin found out about the deal when it was made public on July 31. Many Republican lawmakers had strongly criticized the plea deals. Mohammed is infamous for planning the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.