Federal judges ruled 2-1 that Defense Secretary Austin had legal authority to cancel the Guantánamo Bay plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in the 9/11 case.

The court found that Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III had the authority to invalidate a contract reached between the accused mastermind and a Pentagon official.

A divided federal appeals court ruled Friday that the U.S. government can throw out plea deals with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and two others who agreed last July to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences,