Justice: 23 years later!https://t.co/QOGaKfx2IF
Three of the men accused of plotting the 11 September 2001 attacks have entered into a pre-trial agreement. The men will plead guilty in exchange for the prosecution agreeing not to seek the death penalty— Dr. Solomon Passy 🇺🇦 (@PassySolomon) August 1, 2024
The Biden-Harris administration has made a stunning reversal, revoking a plea deal with three terrorists involved in the September 11 attacks. Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III canceled the agreements in a memo released late Friday, just days after Pentagon prosecutors had announced the deal.
"The plea deal entered into by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and reactions from the families of those they killed, are stark reminders that the consequences of 9/11 continue to unfold." Read the full statement by… pic.twitter.com/AFxKmlPUgq
— 9/11 Memorial & Museum (@Sept11Memorial) August 1, 2024
The plea deal had stirred national outrage as it took the death penalty off the table for the accused, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. These individuals are awaiting trial in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. “Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024,” read the letter from Secretary Austin.
No explanation was given for the timing of the revocation. The same day, the House Armed Services Committee announced an investigation into the plea deals. Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., described the agreements as “unconscionable.”
The FDNY's outrage over the 9/11 plea deal is entirely justified. This slap in the face to our heroes is a disgrace. We must honor their sacrifice with justice, not deals that undermine their bravery.https://t.co/1V6EsDryOB
— Congressman Nathaniel Moran (@RepNateMoran) August 1, 2024
Victims’ families and advocacy groups voiced strong disapproval upon hearing news of the plea agreement.
The Biden-Harris DOJ handing out plea deals to terrorists is shameful. It’s a disgrace to the victims, their families, and all those who served our nation in the war on terror.https://t.co/AsGWxxoa15
— Tim Scott (@SenatorTimScott) August 1, 2024
Plea deal revocation draws widespread reactions
Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association of the City of New York, called the revocation “a big relief” for the families of 9/11 victims. Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, expressed frustration over the lack of consultation with victims’ families.
“These monsters need to be forced to share every piece of information they have about the attacks and be held fully accountable for the murder of our loved ones,” Eagleson stated. He emphasized the need for transparency, including the extent of the involvement of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the attacks. “The American people and the families of the nearly 3,000 victims deserve to know every detail,” Eagleson continued.
The defendants are accused of providing training, financial support, and other assistance to the 19 terrorists who hijacked passenger jets and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, on September 11, 2001. The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the worst terror attack on U.S. soil in American history. The White House clarified that President Biden “played no role” in these plea agreements.
The revocation of these plea deals marks a significant development in the long-standing quest for justice for the victims and their families.
