Three key figures in the 9/11 attacks, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, may avoid the death penalty following a settlement with prosecutors. They were set to receive life sentences instead, but U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin contested this agreement, which was later reinstated by a military court. The defendants, who have been held for over two decades without trial, claim their confessions were obtained through torture. Advocates argue that Austin overstepped his authority in this complex legal battle.