Overview

• The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit ruled 2–1 to annul the plea agreements secured by Khalid Cheikh Mohammed and his two co-defendants.
• Under the overturned accords, the defendants would have pled guilty to conspiracy and received life imprisonment instead of facing capital charges.
• Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin rescinded the deals in August 2024, a move that a military judge later reinstated before this appeals decision.
• The ruling revives the prospect of a military tribunal that could seek the death penalty after more than two decades of stalled proceedings at Guantánamo Bay.
• Khalid Cheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi remain detained on accusations of orchestrating the September 11 attacks amid long-standing debates over CIA interrogation practices and due process.