Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin withdraws plea deal for accused 9/11 terrorists

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Friday withdrew the controversial plea deal for the three men accused of planning the 9/11 attacks.

"Today, Secretary Austin signed a memo reserving for himself the specific authority to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the 9/11 military commission cases," the Defense Department said in a press release. "In addition, as the superior convening authority, the Secretary has also withdrawn from the pre-trial agreements that were signed in those cases."

Austin announced the move in a memo addressed to Susan Escallier, the convening authority for military commissions, who had worked to negotiate the deal.

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"Effective immediately, I hereby withdraw your authority in the above-referenced case to enter into a pre-trial agreement and reserve such authority to myself," Austin said in the letter, which removes Escallier from the case.

The defense secretary said that he made the determination "in light of the significance" of the decision to make a plea deal, adding that "responsibility for such a decision should rest with me."

Officials said on Wednesday that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin 'Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi had reached plea agreements. The three men were expected to plead guilty to lesser charges that would prevent them from receiving the death penalty, but the terms of the revoked deal remain unknown.

The plea deal had been negotiated among the accused men, their