U.S. Court Halts Guilty Plea Hearing for Accused 9/11 Mastermind NYT | Top Stories By: Carol Rosenberg 10 January 2025 at 09:50 A three-judge appeals panel will decide whether the plea deal Khalid Shaikh Mohammed reached to avoid a death-penalty trial remains valid. © Marisa Schwartz Taylor/The New York TimesThe Camp Justice sign at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Relatives of Sept. 11 victims had been taken to the naval base to observe the plea hearing that had been set for Friday.