The high court’s ruling leaves in place former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s 2024 decision to void Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s plea agreement sparing him execution

By Lindsay Whitehirts
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Monday rejected an effort to revive a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

The agreement would have spared Mohammed the risk of execution in exchange for his guilty plea and a sentence of life in prison without parole.

| NEW RESOURCE: An AAR checklist for incident commanders

Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon 25 years ago. Another of the hijacked planes crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

The plea agreement was approved by military prosecutors and the Pentagon’s senior official for Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, before then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin stepped in.

Austin threw out the deal in 2024, saying a decision on the death penalty in an attack as grave as Sept. 11 should only be made by the defense secretary.

Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims were split on the agreements for Mohammed and two co-defendants. Some said a trial is the best path to justice, while others saw it as the best hope for bringing the long, painful case to a conclusion.

Defense attorneys had argued that Austin, who served under President Joe Biden, acted too late. But a divided appeals court panel found Austin acted within his authority.

A trial date has been set for 2028.

Firsthand perspectives show how 9/11 continues to shape the fire service — and why these stories still matter

September 01, 2026 02:26 PM

A recent White House event raises a question that both fire and EMS leaders should ask about who is being left out

October 19, 2026 12:30 PM

 · 

Officials said a fire believed to be contained suddenly shifted a kilometer in 36 seconds, overtaking soldiers conducting live-fire combat training at a base in Alberta, leaving 19 people in critical condition among 39 total injured

October 19, 2026 07:16 AM

 · 

The woman, whose truck struck and killed two people at the Stryker Sports Complex, was released pending toxicology results and a mechanical inspection as police continue interviewing more than 30 witnesses

October 19, 2026 06:54 AM

Sterling Heights’ Drone as a First Responder program deploys drones from three docking stations in as little as 20 seconds, already helping police locate fleeing suspects and giving firefighters a faster way to assess calls before committing equipment

October 19, 2026 07:54 AM

Chuck Evans and Nick Samp Join Company as Rescue Intellitech Accelerates Growth Across North America

September 22, 2026 10:00 AM