![](https://static.independent.co.uk/2024/10/11/23/US_Guantanamo_9_11_Hearings_43692.jpg?width=1200&auto=webp)
A judge at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has ruled that plea bargains struck by alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two codefendants were valid, striking down an order by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to throw out the plea deals and continue to trial, a government official said Wednesday.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the order, by Air Force Col. Matthew McCall, has not yet been posted publicly or officially announced.