News brief

Guilty plea deals for 9/11 conspirators. A military judge has validated the guilty plea agreements struck by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants. The agreements would spare Mr. Mohammed and the others the risk of the death penalty in exchange. Unless government prosecutors or others attempt to challenge the plea deals again, Air Force Col. Matthew McCall’s ruling means that the three 9/11 defendants could enter guilty pleas in the U.S. military courtroom in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. This is a dramatic step toward wrapping up the government prosecution of one of the deadliest attacks on the United States.