Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has dramatically withdrawn a proposed settlement for the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, sparking outrage.
According to Austin, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two accomplices will no longer be eligible for life imprisonment without the possibility of the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea.
This Saturday, March 1, 2003, shows Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, shortly after his arrest during a raid in Pakistan
He also removed the official responsible for the plea deal from her duties. Retired Brigadier General Susan K. Escallier will no longer oversee the case, just two days after the plea deal was announced.
Friday’s shocking reversal means that Mohammed and his accomplices – Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi – once again face the death penalty.
News of Wednesday’s settlement caused “deep distress” among the families of many of the 3,000 people killed in the September 2001 terrorist attacks.
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