Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin had sought to withdraw agreements with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two others charged in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

The Biden administration succeeded Thursday in temporarily blocking a guilty plea by accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, stalling a plea deal that would spare him the risk of the death penalty for al-Qaida’s Sept.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and the Biden administration are attempting to block the deal to pursue capital punishment.

The Biden administration succeeded in blocking a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed on Thursday after a federal court issued an administrative stay of a hearing set for Friday. "The purpose of this administrative stay is to allow the court time to receive full briefing on the mandamus petition,

An appeals court on Thursday temporarily blocked a plea deal for three accused 9/11 plotters in a win for the Justice Department and Pentagon, which had requested this week that the court block the agreements ahead of a Friday hearing.

The Biden administration succeeded in blocking a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after a federal court issued an administrative stay of a hearing set for Friday. The alleged 9/11 mastermind was expected to plead guilty as part of a plea agreement worked out by military prosecutors that would have removed the death penalty as a possibility in his case.

The Justice Department, on behalf of the Pentagon, on Tuesday asked an appeals court to block an effort to enforce plea deals reached with four accused conspirators of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.