An appeals court has rejected a settlement that would have converted Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's, the mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, death penalty to life imprisonment in exchange for his confession.
The settlement, which a military court previously found binding, has sparked anger among the relatives of the victims of the terrorist attacks. Last year, then-Defense Minister Lloyd Austin took the initiative to repeal it, which was later criticized for being ministerial rule.
Austin "acted within the framework of his legal authority, and we refrain from questioning his judgment," the judges write.
The settlement also applied to Mohammed's two accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The three men were arrested in 2003 and are being held in detention at Guantanamo Bay. The prolonged legal process has been affected by the question of whether the torture they were subjected to in the CIA's prison has affected the evidence.
