The U.S. Department of Defense pulled the rug out from under 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammad — rescinding his plea deal that would have spared his life.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin axed the plea agreement that was put in place earlier this week between KSM and the overseer of the war court in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where the Al Qaeda terrorist and his alleged accomplices are being prosecuted.

As you know, KSM and Osama Bin Laden plotted the attacks on the World Trade Center and other American targets, resulting in nearly 3000 people being killed on Sept. 11, 2001. In 2011, Bin Laden was fatally shot by Navy Seals during a U.S.-led special forces raid on his Abbottabad, Pakistan compound.

After the KSM plea deal became public, families of 9/11 victims expressed outrage that the death penalty was no longer an option.

On Friday, Austin took matters into his own hands, shredding the pretrial agreement that required KSM to plead guilty to the mass murders in exchange for keeping him alive in prison for the rest of his life.

With this move, Austin has now put the death penalty back on the table while relieving the overseer of her duties on the case.

Retired Brigadier General Susan K. Escallier, who cut the plea deals with KSM and his 2 cohorts, will continue in her oversight role on other Guantánamo cases.