In the US, defendants in the September 11 terrorist attacks may face the death penalty once again

In the US, defendants in the 9/11 attacks case may face the death penalty again

The US Supreme Court has refused to review the decision to overturn plea deals with the defendants in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, which had allowed them to avoid the death penalty. Now, the three defendants in the case could once again be sentenced to capital punishment if found guilty by the court.

This concerns Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, whom US authorities consider the mastermind of the attacks, as well as Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Walid bin Attash. In 2024, they entered into agreements under which they were to plead guilty in exchange for the removal of the death penalty. However, these agreements were short-lived.

In August 2024, then-US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin revoked them amid criticism from Republican lawmakers. The defense challenged this decision, claiming that the Secretary did not have the authority to terminate the agreements.

In July 2025, an appeals court ruled that Austin acted within his authority. The defendants attempted to challenge this ruling in the Supreme Court, but it refused to consider their appeals. Thus, the decision to revoke the deals remains in effect.

The case is being heard by a military commission at the US base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and remains one of the longest-running trials related to the attacks. The proceedings are complicated, in particular, by disputes over the admissibility of evidence obtained following the torture of the defendants in secret CIA prisons.

The trial is scheduled to begin in June 2028. If convicted, Mohammed, al-Hawsawi, and bin Attash could face the death penalty.

The September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks claimed the lives of nearly three thousand people.