The Corner

Jihadists Challenge Validity of Austin’s Rescission of 9/11 Plea Agreements

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Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin addresses the news media about Russia and the crisis in the Ukraine during a news conference at the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., January 28, 2022.

Joshua Roberts/Reuters

The three terrorists who signed plea agreements that were countersigned by the Defense Department official who was authorized to approve such agreements now claim that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was powerless to rescind the agreements.

The three jihadists — Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, the mastermind of the 9/11 suicide hijackings that killed nearly 3,000 Americans, and two of his accomplices, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash — contend that the plea agreements became binding contracts once they were signed last Wednesday, July 31, by retired General Susan K. Escallier, who had been appointed by Austin to oversee the military commissions.

Andrew C. McCarthy

About the Author

Andrew C. McCarthy

Andrew C. McCarthy is a senior fellow at National Review Institute, an NR contributing editor, and author of Ball of Collusion: The Plot to Rig an Election and Destroy a Presidency.

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