US defense chief says he has not changed his position on 9/11 plotters’ plea deals

By Diyar Guldogan

WASHINGTON (AA) - US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday that he has not changed his position on the plea deals for accused plotters of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

"I thought at that point in time that it was important enough that I should be the person to make the decision on this. And I still feel the same way," Austin told reporters in Florida.

His remarks came a day after a US military judge ruled that plea agreements in the case were valid, making it possible for the three men accused of planning the attacks to be sentenced to life in prison instead of death.

This August, Austin revoked the three separate pre-trial agreements for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi.

Air Force Col. Matthew McCall, the judge, ruled that Austin was too late and acting beyond the scope of his authority when he revoked the plea deals days after a senior Pentagon appointee signed them.

The three accused were all charged jointly in 2008 and again in 2012 in connection with their alleged roles in the Sept. 11 attacks, which claimed the lives of more than 3,000 people after al-Qaeda terrorists hijacked two planes and crashed them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

When Austin was asked whether he is planning to intervene again, he said: "I won't comment on anything that could happen in the future. But again, I will just emphasize that I still feel the same way."

Pentagon spokeswoman Sabrina Singh told reporters Thursday that it is "reviewing the decision" by the judge.