A federal appeals court tossed out a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks, that would have prevented a lengthy death penalty trial.
In a 2-1 decision, judges for the D.C. Appeals Court said that the government “indisputably” had the authority to withdraw the plea deal – which a senior Pentagon official reached with Mohammed last year before former defense secretary Lloyd Austin intervened.
