The surprise reversal Friday of a plea deal for the mastermind of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and his accomplices drew praise and demands for justice from victims' groups and Republican lawmakers.
“The Biden-Harris Administration is right to change its position after receiving letters from @GOPoversight and @HASCRepublicans launching investigations into this terrible plea deal,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., posted on X after news broke that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had revoked the deal.
“Now we must give the families of 9/11 the long-awaited justice they have been given,” he said.
Pentagon prosecutors sparked national outrage Thursday when they announced a plea deal with Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, who are awaiting trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The terms and conditions of the deal were never disclosed, but the agreement took the death penalty off the table, the Office of Military Commissions (OMC) told three family members of 9/11 victims, the New York Post reported.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION REVERSES AND REVOKES PLEA DEAL FOR 9/11 TERRORISTS
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has revoked a plea deal offered to the masterminds behind the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. (Ian Waldie/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The World Trade Center attacks killed nearly 3,000 people in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil in American history. Families of the victims, groups representing them and lawmakers expressed bewilderment and anger that those who planned the attack are not being prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. The House Oversight and Armed Services Committees separately announced investigations into the plea deals, which Armed Services Chairman Mike Rogers, R-Ala., called “unconscionable.”
However, that agreement was rescinded after Austin relieved the official in charge of the military commission who had signed the agreement and assumed its authority himself.
“Effective immediately, in exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pretrial agreements that you entered into on July 31, 2024,” the clerk wrote in a brief memo Friday.
The defense secretary did not explain why he had not intervened before the plea agreements were signed and made public.
9/11 shooter and two others reach plea deals while awaiting trial; families of victims 'very disappointed'
Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, accused of masterminding the September 11 terrorist attacks. (AP Agency)
Still, his swift action to reverse course received praise from 9/11 Families United, a group representing families of victims and survivors of the Sept. 11 attacks.
“Secretary of Defense Austin is demonstrating the strength of America with this decision: America does not negotiate with terrorists,” said Terry Strada, National President of 9/11 Families United. “The media amplified our protests for justice and the same mercy will be given to the three detainees at Guantanamo Bay who murdered my husband: none.”
He called on Congress to pass the Ensuring Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act, which would allow families of victims of terrorism to seek financial compensation from foreign sponsors of terrorism.
“We need to send the same strong message to sponsors of terrorism: If they harm Americans on American soil, we will hold them accountable in a U.S. court and justice will be done,” Strada said.
LOVED ONES OF 9/11 VICTIMS REACT TO TERRORISM DEFENDANT'S PLEA DEAL: 'A LIFE OF PAIN AND SUFFERING'
The 9/11 memorial on the illuminated Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. (Fox News Photo/Joshua Comins)
Several Republican lawmakers in New York applauded the defense secretary's decision, but demanded that Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and the other 9/11 terrorists face trial for their crimes and receive the maximum sentence.
“I am grateful to see that Secretary of Defense Austin made the right decision, responding to the requests of myself and my colleagues. Failing to hold these terrorists accountable for the atrocities they committed would be an insult to the victims' families and send the wrong message to our enemies,” said Rep. Brandon Williams, R-N.Y.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., urged Pentagon prosecutors to move quickly to trial.
“Good,” he wrote in X. “Anything short of the death penalty is unacceptable. Thank you to all who demonstrated to demand real justice, not a sweet deal for terrorists. Now let's set a trial date.”
9/11 FAMILIES OUTRAGED AFTER ALLEGED PERPETRATOR AND TWO OTHERS GET PLEA DEALS: 'WE NEED A DAY IN COURT'
A thick column of smoke rises into the sky from the area behind the Statue of Liberty, lower left, where the World Trade Center once stood, Tuesday, Sept. 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Daniel Hulshizer)
Rep. Anthony D'Esposito echoed that demand: “Now is the time for Secretary Austin and President Biden to end this 23-year nightmare by expediting the execution of these terrorists and delivering justice to the families of those affected by 9/11.”
Top Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., have not commented on the plea deal or the reversal of Austin’s sentence. The White House referred Fox News Digital to the Defense Department for comment.
Other victims groups were quick to respond to both the deal and the Biden-Harris administration's change of stance.
Patrick Hendry, president of the New York City Police Benevolent Association, told Fox News that this was a huge relief to the families of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
LEGISLATORS AND FAMILIES OF 9/11 VICTIMS REACT TO DEAL WITH TERRORISTS: 'A SLAP IN THE FACE'
Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a suspected al Qaeda terrorist, is shown in this photograph released by the FBI on October 10, 2001 in Washington, DC. Mohammed was arrested at a home in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. (Fake Images)
“The families of our 9/11 heroes channeled their anguish and outrage into a powerful message. It is thanks to their courage that these shameful plea deals have been overturned,” Hendry said.
“We are relieved and grateful, but the work is not done. As we have said from the beginning, these terrorists who took so many innocent lives must receive the maximum punishment. The security of our nation demands it, and the families of the fallen, who have suffered for so long, deserve no less.”
9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson said his group is “shocked and deeply frustrated” that victims' families were not notified or consulted about the plea deal or its subsequent reversal.
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“These monsters must be forced to share all the information they have about the attacks and be held accountable for the murder of our loved ones. This is not just about punishment, it's about uncovering the whole truth,” Eagleson said.
“Our pursuit of truth and justice remains unwavering. We demand that the administration ensure that these individuals provide vital information about the 9/11 attacks, including the extent of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's involvement. The American people and the families of the nearly 3,000 victims deserve to know all the details. This decision must not hamper our efforts to hold those responsible, including the Saudi government, accountable for their role in this horrific tragedy.
He called for the revocation of these plea agreements to achieve “greater transparency and accountability.”
The Defense Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Fox News Digital's Stepheny Price and Fox News' Bill Mears contributed to this report.
