USA cancels agreement with terror suspects

The USA's Defense Minister Lloyd Austin is withdrawing the plans to reach an agreement with the man accused of being the mastermind behind al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

» Published: August 03 2024

USA cancels agreement with terror suspects
Photo: Richard Drew/AP/TT

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, were expected to plead guilty at the military commission on Guantanamo Bay base as early as next week.

In exchange, they would avoid the risk of the death penalty and instead be sentenced to life imprisonment, which emerged in a letter sent to families of the nearly 3,000 people killed in the terrorist attacks.

However, Defense Minister Austin is now said to have withdrawn the offer of an agreement.

"The responsibility for such a decision rests with me," Austin writes in a press release addressed to Susan Escallier, who oversees the trial in the military court at Guantanamo Bay, according to AFP.

He further writes that he is withdrawing the agreements that Escallier signed regarding the three men.

Several families of the attack victims have condemned the agreement. Republicans were also quick to criticize the Biden administration, but the White House has claimed that they had no knowledge of the agreements.

The three men were arrested in 2003 and are being held at Guantanamo Bay. The protracted legal process has been affected by the question of whether the torture they were subjected to in CIA custody has affected the evidence.

It has been over 16 years since the prosecution process for al-Qaeda's terrorist attacks began – and more than 20 years after terrorists took over commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in the attacks.

Tags

TTT
By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

More news

Congo President Commutes Death Sentences
1 MIN READ

Congo President Commutes Death Sentences for Americans in Coup Plot

Hungary Plans ICC Exit as
2 MIN READ

Hungary Plans ICC Exit as Netanyahu Visits Budapest

Putin and Trump Not Meeting
1 MIN READ

Putin and Trump Not Meeting in Saudi Arabia, Kremlin Confirms

Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount Visit Sparks
2 MIN READ

Ben-Gvir's Temple Mount Visit Sparks Regional Condemnation

Greece Plans 25 Billion Euro
1 MIN READ

Greece Plans 25 Billion Euro Boost to Defense by 2036

Houthi Movement Reports Fatalities in
1 MIN READ

Houthi Movement Reports Fatalities in Alleged US Airstrikes in Yemen

Sperm Whale Found Dead on
1 MIN READ

Sperm Whale Found Dead on Danish Beach Near Aarhus

Argentina Opens Secret Files on
1 MIN READ

Argentina Opens Secret Files on Nazi Refugees and Their Financiers

Suspected Worst Rapist in UK
1 MIN READ

Suspected Worst Rapist in UK History Faces New Allegations

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford Wins
2 MIN READ

Liberal Judge Susan Crawford Wins Key Wisconsin Supreme Court Election

Myanmar Junta Announces Ceasefire as
2 MIN READ

Myanmar Junta Announces Ceasefire as Earthquake Recovery Continues

Israel Intensifies Gaza Offensive with
3 MIN READ

Israel Intensifies Gaza Offensive with Air and Artillery Strikes

Frederiksen Visits Greenland as Concerns
2 MIN READ

Frederiksen Visits Greenland as Concerns Over US Interest Persist

China Wraps Up Military Drills
2 MIN READ

China Wraps Up Military Drills Near Taiwan, Raising Regional Tensions

White House Evaluates Economic Impact
2 MIN READ

White House Evaluates Economic Impact of Potential Greenland Acquisition

WWII Codebreaker Charlotte Webb, Honored
2 MIN READ

WWII Codebreaker Charlotte Webb, Honored by Queen, Dies at 101

Russian Envoy Dmitrijev Eyes Washington
1 MIN READ

Russian Envoy Dmitrijev Eyes Washington Visit for Key Talks

Russian Drone Strikes in Ukraine
1 MIN READ

Russian Drone Strikes in Ukraine Leave One Dead, Thousands Without Power

Cory Booker's 25-Hour Senate Speech
3 MIN READ

Cory Booker's 25-Hour Senate Speech Sets Record in Trump Protest

Trump Adviser Faces Scrutiny Over
2 MIN READ

Trump Adviser Faces Scrutiny Over Private Email Use in Security Role

Zelenskyj Seeks Support for Potential
1 MIN READ

Zelenskyj Seeks Support for Potential Peacekeeping Forces in Ukraine

Denmark Sets 18-Year Age Limit
1 MIN READ

Denmark Sets 18-Year Age Limit for High-Alcohol Drinks

Le Pen Awaits Appeal Verdict
2 MIN READ

Le Pen Awaits Appeal Verdict on 2027 Election Ban Next Summer

Fourth Missing US Soldier Found
1 MIN READ

Fourth Missing US Soldier Found Dead in Lithuania

Russian Advances in Eastern Ukraine
1 MIN READ

Russian Advances in Eastern Ukraine Slow for Fourth Month

Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Danish
1 MIN READ

Bird Flu Outbreak Hits Danish Farm, 24 Chickens Culled

23 States Sue Trump Administration
2 MIN READ

23 States Sue Trump Administration Over Health Funding Cuts

Europol Set for Expansion in
1 MIN READ

Europol Set for Expansion in New EU Security Strategy

Search Continues for Missing Plane
1 MIN READ

Search Continues for Missing Plane in Norway with Two Feared Dead

Trump's First Foreign Trip as
1 MIN READ

Trump's First Foreign Trip as President: Saudi Arabia and Beyond

Danish Police Arrest 10 Bandidos
1 MIN READ

Danish Police Arrest 10 Bandidos Gang Members at Sejet Inn

German EU Politician Faces Probe
1 MIN READ

German EU Politician Faces Probe Over Controversial Nazi Greeting Post

EU Eyes Boosting Eastern Infrastructure
1 MIN READ

EU Eyes Boosting Eastern Infrastructure for Defense and Development

23 States Sue Trump Administration
2 MIN READ

23 States Sue Trump Administration Over $11 Billion Health Cuts

Israel Sets Record for Palestinian
3 MIN READ

Israel Sets Record for Palestinian Home Demolitions in West Bank

Red Cross Faces Deadliest Attack
2 MIN READ

Red Cross Faces Deadliest Attack in Eight Years During Gaza Conflict

Georgia Approves US-Inspired Agent Law
1 MIN READ

Georgia Approves US-Inspired Agent Law After Criticism

Scottish Fisherman Missing Since 2021
1 MIN READ

Scottish Fisherman Missing Since 2021 Identified on Norwegian Coast

Ukraine Election Preparations Denied by
1 MIN READ

Ukraine Election Preparations Denied by Zelenskyj's Party Leader

Genre image
1 MIN READ

Norwegian Man Gets Life for Murdering Finnish Hockey Star Janne Puhakka