The mastermind behind the 9/11 attack on the United States, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, had a very bad week as a court finally ruled that a plea deal he was originally given is no longer valid.

According to the New York Post, the decision upholds former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's reversal on a plea deal that would have allowed the terrorist mastermind to escape execution for his role in the 9/11 attacks.

The original plea deal, which was struck in 2023 under the Biden administration, was met with extreme and fierce backlash, as it should have. Politics aside, nobody wanted Mohammed to walk away from the most serious consequence.

The plea deal was originally approved by "military lawyers and senior Pentagon" officials.

What's going on?

Thanks to a ruling from the US Court of Appeals for Washington, DC, the panel of judges decided that Austin had the proper authority to undo the plea deal at the time. The decision was 2-1.

Official court papers read, "The Secretary of Defense indisputably had legal authority to withdraw from the agreements."

Remember when the Biden admin struck a plea deal with the 9/11 masterminds so they can avoid the death penalty?

Well an appeals court just TOSSED that deal, putting Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his two co-conspirators BACK on track for the DEATH PENALTY. pic.twitter.com/yueYxIIV9M

— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) July 11, 2025

The court added, "The plain and unambiguous text of the pretrial agreements shows that no performance of promises had begun [and] the government has no adequate alternative remedy to vindicate its interests."

The Post noted:

Mohammed, or KSM as he is better known, was al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s operational planner and hatched the scheme of using hijacked planes as missiles in the US that killed nearly 3,000 people on Sept. 11, 2001.

The ruling will hopefully end over two decades of legal obstacles and logistical troubles surrounding the case.

Social media reacts

News of the plea deal being tossed garnered plenty of reactions across social media.

"Why are they still going through court after all these years? Why did the Biden administration drag this out? Trump would have had this taken care of like yesterday!" one X user wrote.

Another X user wrote, "I don’t know why after 24 years we’re still on the fence with these people. They certainly don’t concern themselves with affording us due process and innocence."

Hopefully, the ruling brings this mess to a close.