US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has canceled pre-trial agreements with those accused of plotting the September 11 terrorist attacks.
In a memo Friday, Mr. Austin also said he would revoke the authority of the court supervisor who signed the agreement on Wednesday.
The initial deal, which was supposed to spare the attackers the death penalty, was criticized by some victims’ families.
The memorandum names five defendants, including the alleged ringleader of the plot, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. The original agreement named three men.
“I have determined that, given the importance of the decision to enter into a pretrial agreement with the defendant… the responsibility for such a decision must rest with me as the superior officer,” Austin wrote to Brigadier General Susan Escallier.
“I hereby revoke your authority. Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements.”
The White House said Wednesday that it played no role in the plea deal.
The five men named in the memorandum are: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi; and two others not mentioned in the original appeal: Ramzi bin al-Shibh and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.
Some family members have criticized the terms of the settlement, which were not made public, as too lenient.
Brett Eagleson, president of 9/11 Justice, which represents survivors and relatives of victims, told the BBC earlier this week that families were “very concerned about these plea deals”.
Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom, told the BBC’s Today programme: “It’s heartbreaking to hear today that there’s a plea deal that will see the prisoners in Guantanamo Bay get what they wanted.”
A lawyer at Guantanamo representing Mr. Mohammed said New York Times that he was shocked by this sudden change.
“If the defence minister has issued such an order, I am deeply disappointed that after all these years the government has not learned the lessons from this case,” said lawyer Gary Sowards.
“And the harm that results comes from disregarding due process and fair play.”
The men were charged with a variety of crimes, including attacks on civilians, murder in violation of the laws of war, hijacking and terrorism.
In September, the Biden administration reportedly rejected the terms of a plea deal with five men detained at a US Navy base in Cuba, including Mohammed.
The men are said to have asked the president for assurances that they would not be held incommunicado and would receive treatment for their injuries.
Republicans were quick to criticize the Biden administration on Wednesday when the deal was announced by military prosecutors.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell condemned the move as “a disgusting abdication” of justice. “The only thing worse than negotiating with terrorists is negotiating with them after they are already in custody,” he said.
The September 11 attacks in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania sparked the “War on Terror” and the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq.
It was the deadliest attack on US soil since Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1941, which killed 2,400 people.
