Author: Abené Clayton and agencies

The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, has made a controversial decision to revoke a plea deal for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks and two other defendants, reinstating them as death penalty cases. The deal, signed by overseeing war court proceedings Susan Escallier, came 16 years into the prosecution of the three men. Victims’ families expressed disappointment as the deal meant no full trial, leading to sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers and accusations of betrayal from the Biden-Harris administration. The decision to rescind the plea bargains was met with further backlash. President Biden had blocked a proposed plea…