US Supreme Court refuses to restore plea deals for three alleged 9/11 conspirators

The US Supreme Court has refused to restore plea agreements for three men accused of planning the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, allowing the possibility of the death penalty to remain.

According to CNN, the court on Monday declined appeals from Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Mustafa al Hawsawi and Walid Bin ‘Attash.

The decision leaves in place a previous appeals court ruling that former Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin had the authority to cancel their plea agreements.

The deals, announced in 2024 after more than two years of negotiations, would have required the defendants to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.

They would also have faced public sentencing hearings where survivors and victims' families could question them.

However, Austin cancelled the agreements, arguing that such an important decision “should rest with me.”

The move followed criticism from some groups representing families of those killed in the attacks.

The Supreme Court's decision means the cases will return to military courts, where proceedings have faced years of delays.

Legal disputes over torture at CIA detention facilities and whether evidence obtained through torture can be used in court have complicated the trials.