By Jay Judge
The Baltimore Sun
WASHINGTON — Members of New York’s congressional delegation are calling on the Biden administration to put the death penalty back on the table for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after revoking a plea deal that would have spared his life.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin recently revoked the plea deal for Mohammed and two accomplices. He took oversight of the military tribunal at Guantanamo amid a backlash over the agreement by prosecutors, which would have sentenced them to life in prison in return for pleading guilty to killing nearly 3,000 people in the attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and United flight 93.
But New York GOP lawmakers are demanding that the Biden-Harris Administration “immediately” set a new trial date and pursue the death penalty for Mohammed and other 9/11 defendants.
“While we’re pleased that Secretary Austin revoked this unacceptable plea deal, it has been 23 years since the worst terrorist attack on American soil, and the families of 9/11 victims, the first responders still suffering and dying today, and all Americans, deserve justice,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, a New York Republican, said in a statement. “The brave people standing with me today deserve closure after everything they’ve sacrificed for our country.”
New York Republican Reps. Mike Lawler and Elise Stefanik have filed a proposal that would block any future plea deals with 9/11 defendants and require that the death penalty be considered as part of any sentencing.
“The Justice for 9/11 Act will ensure that no future plea deal will be offered to these terrorists by requiring a trial and ensuring the death penalty remains on the table,” Lawler said in a statement. “Anything less is a disservice to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice on that day and in the months and years since.”
The Pentagon faced a wave of criticism from Republicans and others following the announcement of the plea deal, which would have taken the death penalty off the table for the prisoners in exchange for a guilty plea.
The World Trade Center attacks killed 2,997 people in the worst terror attack on U.S. soil in American history.
The prosecution of the five remaining 9/11 plotters detained at Guantanamo has been delayed by more than a decade over legal wrangling over the admissibility of evidence gathered using torture, prosecutors say.
Groups representing families of 9/11 families have expressed frustration that they were not consulted about the plea agreement or its subsequent revocation.
“We are astounded and deeply frustrated that our families were not consulted or even notified in advance of the plea deal or its subsequent revocation,” 9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson said in a statement. “These monsters need to be forced to share every piece of information they have about the attacks and be held fully accountable for the murder of our loved ones. It’s not just about punishment, it’s about uncovering the full truth.”
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