Story perspectives

Court Denies 2024 Plea Deal in 9/11 Case

1/8/2026

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Summary

Story summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit declined to reinstate the 2024 plea deal in the September 11, 2001, Guantánamo Bay case, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as the next option.
Pretrial hearings are expected to resume before September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The 2024 plea deal would have allowed Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to admit their roles in exchange for life sentences, but Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III voided the agreement.
Victims' families are divided on the plea, with some supporting it and others demanding a full trial; pretrial hearings are scheduled for March 23–27, 2026.

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Story summary

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Colombia Circuit declined to reinstate the 2024 plea deal in the September 11, 2001, Guantánamo Bay case, leaving the U.S. Supreme Court as the next option.
Pretrial hearings are expected to resume before September 11, 2026, the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
The 2024 plea deal would have allowed Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to admit their roles in exchange for life sentences, but Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III voided the agreement.
Victims' families are divided on the plea, with some supporting it and others demanding a full trial; pretrial hearings are scheduled for March 23–27, 2026.