U.S. Appeals Court Temporarily Stops Guilty Plea Hearing for 9/11 Plotter Khalid Shaikh Mohammed

Politics

1 year ago

News sources:

Credited from: NYTIMES

A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a guilty plea hearing for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 attacks.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit issued the order prior to a scheduled military court hearing at Guantánamo Bay.
The court is set to review whether Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III effectively withdrew from a settlement reached earlier this summer.
Two lower military courts had previously ruled that the withdrawal was untimely, complicating the plea process for other defendants involved in the case.
The ongoing legal uncertainty has led to emotional reactions from the families of nearly 3,000 victims, caught between those seeking a full trial and those favoring the plea deal.