9/11 Plea Deals for Guantanamo Detainees Face Uncertainty and Division

The Biden administration seeks to block plea agreements for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and co-defendants, leaving victims' families divided over justice and closure.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, and two co-defendants have agreed to plea deals that would result in life sentences, sparing them the death penalty.
The Biden administration, despite earlier negotiations, is now asking a federal court to block the plea deals, arguing that such decisions should rest with the defense secretary.
Families of 9/11 victims remain split on the plea agreements, with some seeing them as a path to resolution and others viewing them as a failure to deliver full justice or uncover more details about the attacks.
The legal process has been complicated by the torture of detainees during CIA custody, which has tainted evidence and prolonged proceedings for over two decades.
With only 15 detainees remaining at Guantanamo Bay, the Biden administration has been working to resolve cases before leaving office, but uncertainty looms with the upcoming change in administration.