9/11 guilty pleas delayed after government opposition

The government had argued that going ahead with the deals would mean it was denied the opportunity to “seek capital punishment against three men charged with a heinous act of mass murder that caused the death of thousands of people and shocked the nation and the world”.

“A short delay to allow this Court to weigh the merits of the government’s request in this momentous case will not materially harm the respondents,” it said.

In their response, Mohammed’s team said the agreement offered “the first opportunity for genuine closure” in almost a quarter of a century. It said the plea negotiations, which happened over two years, had “directly involved the White House”.

In its decision on Thursday evening, the federal appeals court said its decision was aimed at giving the judges time to receive a full briefing and hear arguments “on an expedited basis”.

The delay means the matter will now fall to the incoming Trump administration.

The full details of the deals reached with Mohammed and two of his co-defendants have not been released.

In a court hearing in Guantanamo on Wednesday, his legal team confirmed that he had agreed to plead guilty to all charges.

If the deals are upheld and the pleas accepted by the court, the next steps would be appointing a military jury, known as a panel, to hear evidence at a sentencing hearing.

In court on Wednesday, this was described by lawyers as a form of public trial, where survivors and family members of those killed would be given the opportunity to give statements.

Under the agreement, the families would also be able to pose questions to Mohammed, who would be required to “answer their questions fully and truthfully”, lawyers say.