Those accused of planning the terrorist attacks pleaded guilty and thus avoided a possible death sentence. Instead, men can face life imprisonment.
A military court judge in Guantanamo Bay has ruled that the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the plea agreement with his accomplices still stands.
The news agency AP reports on the matter, referring to an official source who remains anonymous.
Thus, the military court judge was overruled by the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin’s of the order demanding rejection of the plea agreement.
US administration prosecutors negotiated plea deals with the defendants’ defense and a senior official at the Guantanamo Bay military tribunal approved the deal.
Defense Secretary Austin announced his order voiding the contracts shortly after the deal became public.
According to the judge, Austin “acted too late and beyond the reach of his authority”, he writes New York Times.
Mohammed is accused of planning the terrorist attacks in which hijacked passenger planes were flown towards the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon building of the Department of Defense in Virginia.
In late July, Mohammed and two other men pleaded guilty to the attacks, likely avoiding the death penalty. Instead, life sentences await the men.
The implementation of the agreement is a step towards bringing the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks to justice and sentencing them.
The trial of the terrorist attacks that led to the death of almost three thousand people has been stuck in the US judicial system for years.
Sources: AP, Reuters