Fri Jan 10 01:57:38 UTC 2025: ## Biden Admin Blocks 9/11 Mastermind’s Guilty Plea
**Washington, D.C. –** The Biden administration successfully blocked 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from entering a guilty plea that would have spared him the death penalty, halting a deal negotiated by the Department of Defense. A three-judge appeals panel temporarily blocked the plea, scheduled for Friday at Guantanamo Bay, granting the administration time to further challenge the agreement.
The decision comes after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin intervened, arguing that the decision on capital punishment for such a grave crime should rest solely with the secretary. The plea deal, reached after two years of negotiations and approved by military prosecutors and the Pentagon’s Guantanamo official, stipulated life imprisonment without parole for Mohammed and two co-defendants in exchange for answering questions from victims’ families.
The administration’s action has divided victims’ families. Some, like Elizabeth Miller, who lost her father in the attacks, support the plea deal as a path to closure. Others, like Gordon Haberman, whose daughter was killed, prefer a full trial.
The appeals court’s temporary stay will extend into the incoming Trump administration, leaving the future of the case uncertain. Mohammed’s lawyers argue that Austin lacks the authority to overturn the already-approved agreement, highlighting the government’s handling of the case over two decades as “fitful” and “negligent.” The Justice Department contends that accepting the guilty pleas would prevent a public trial and the possibility of seeking the death penalty. The case, plagued by legal challenges and the torture of defendants in CIA custody, remains in pretrial hearings with no trial date set.
First Piper 