The head of a group of family members of victims of the Sept. 11 terror attacks said Saturday that she's hearing nearly unanimous praise of the U.S. defense secretary's nullification of plea deals for the accused 9/11 mastermind and two others that would have removed the death penalty as a possibility.
The American Civil Liberties Union, meanwhile, said it plans to challenge the reversal in court, citing it in a statement Saturday as a "rash act" that "violates the law."
Terry Strada, national chair of the group 9/11 Families United, said she was shocked by the announcement late Friday that Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was rejecting a plea deal reached just days ago and was restoring the death penalty as an option in the cases.
He wrote that authority in the matter ultimately rested with him.
"Nobody saw this coming," Strada said.
