US Revokes Plea Deal with 9/11 Mastermind

The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
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US Revokes Plea Deal with 9/11 Mastermind

The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
The mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

The US on Friday revoked a plea agreement reached earlier this week with the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, after Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin relieved the senior official in charge of military commissions, Brig. Gen. Susan Escallier, from her oversight of the case.

The plea agreement would have seen the suspect avoid the death sentence.

In a memo released Friday evening, Austin said, “In light of the significance of the decision, I have determined that the authority to make a decision on accepting the plea agreements is mine.”

He added, “I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case.”

The three agreements were signed with Mohammed and two alleged accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, held at the Guantanamo Bay military base in Cuba.

The deals sparked anger among family members of the nearly 3,000 people who died in the Sept. 11, 2001 when hearing that the agreements would exempt the defendants from the death penalty.

In his order, Austin said he relieved Brig. Gen. Susan Escallier, from her oversight of the case. Escallier oversaw the cases in her capacity as the Department of Defense's Convening Authority for Military Commissions.

“Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements...,” Austin wrote in his memo.



Hundreds Line Up to Visit Pope Francis' Tomb in Rome

People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
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Hundreds Line Up to Visit Pope Francis' Tomb in Rome

People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA
People queue to visit the tomb of Pope Francis at the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Italy, 27 April 2025. Pope Francis passed away on Easter Monday, 21 April 2025, at the age of 88. EPA/FABIO CIMAGLIA

Hundreds of people filed past the tomb of Pope Francis from early on Sunday morning in the Roman basilica where he chose to be buried in a break from tradition.
No pope had been laid to rest outside the Vatican in more than a century, but Francis opted instead for burial in Santa Maria Maggiore (Saint Mary Major), located in the Italian capital's most multi-cultural neighborhood.
His coffin was taken there on Saturday after his funeral Mass in St. Peter's square, with around 150,000 people lining the route through the heart of the city to say their farewells, Reuters reported.
The casket was placed in a simple marble tomb in a side aisle of the basilica. Only his name in Latin, "Franciscus", is inscribed on top, while a reproduction of the plain cross that he used to wear around his neck hangs above the niche.
"I feel like it's exactly in the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now," said Polish pilgrim Maria Brzezinska after paying her respects.
Visitors began queuing well before the Basilica opened at 7:00 a.m. (0500 GMT). After passing through metal detectors, they entered the church through a so-called Holy Door, only opened during special Holy Years celebrated every 25 years.
Santa Maria Maggiore is one of four basilicas in Rome that have such holy doors. It was founded in 432 and is the only basilica in the city that preserves the early Christian structure, although there have been many later additions.
Francis was especially attached to it because of his devotion to Mary, Mother of God. He prayed there before and after every overseas trip.
A venerated Byzantine icon of Mary is housed in the Pauline chapel near the tomb. A vase of golden roses, donated by Francis in 2023, sits among candlesticks under the icon. He last visited the chapel carrying a bunch of white roses on April 12.
A single white rose was placed on his tomb.
"So much intensity. He was a person close to everyone, so we respect him for what he did, each in our own way. Thank you," said Carmelo Lamurra, a Rome resident.