The US Supreme Court has declined to hear appeals from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged planner of the 11 September 2001 attacks, and two co-defendants seeking to reinstate plea deals that were withdrawn in 2024, CBS News reports.
The unsigned order leaves in place an appeals court ruling that the then defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, had the authority to cancel the agreements. Under them, Mohammed, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin 'Atash would have pleaded guilty and served life sentences, avoiding the death penalty. Justice Brett Kavanaugh did not take part.
The three men were captured in 2003 and held at secret CIA sites, where they were subjected to what the US called enhanced interrogation, before being moved to Guantánamo Bay. Their long-delayed military commission case now has a provisional trial date of June 2028.
Source: CBS News
