Austin was ‘surprised’ by 9/11 plea deals, Pentagon says

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was “surprised” by the announcement of a plea deal between a U.S. military commission and three accused 9/11 plotters, a Pentagon spokesman said Monday. , adding that Austin wants to see the case go to trial.

Austin, who revoked the plea deal on Friday, “was certainly surprised like the rest of us,” said Pentagon deputy press secretary Sabrina Singh.

“This is not something the secretary was consulted about,” Singh told reporters at a press conference on Monday. “We were not aware that the prosecution or defense would enter into the terms of the plea agreement.”

The Office of Military Commissions on Wednesday reached a plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, also known as KSM, and two of his alleged accomplices in the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. Austin was returning from a trip to the Indo-Pacific at the time the deal was announced.

Singh said that while Austin respects the decisions of the independent prosecutor’s office, he believes the case is too big not to intervene.

“This is a case of such importance that the secretary felt it was appropriate for the authority to stay with him,” she said.

Austin made the decision on his own, Singh added, saying he was unaware of President Biden’s involvement.

Mohammed is accused of being the main mastermind of the attacks and has been detained since 2003.

All three defendants are being held at Cuba’s infamous Guantanamo Bay facility, along with two others who failed to reach a plea deal last week, but are also accused of planning the 9/11 attacks.

The plea deal angered Republicans, who accused the Biden administration of failing to confront terrorists. The White House said it was not aware of the deal before it was reached.

Some families also expressed concerns about the plea deals, though others welcomed and were frustrated by Austin’s revocation. The US military commission has long struggled to bring cases to trial and win convictions.

But Austin believes there should be a trial in the 9/11 case, Singh said.

“He believes that the families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see the military commission trials carried out in this case,” she said, acknowledging that the case has been delayed for many years as some question whether it will ever be possible to reach a judgment. “But this is what he believes is the best course of action.”

This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story