Pentagon rejects USS Cole plea deal, setting first Guantánamo death-penalty trial for June 2026

Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg rejected a plea agreement in the USS Cole bombing case on February 6, 2026, voiding a deal that would have spared Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri the death penalty in exchange for a full confession and a sentence of 20 years to life. The rejection set the stage for the first death-penalty trial in the Guantánamo Bay military commissions, with jury selection scheduled to begin June 1, 2026. Al-Nashiri, 61, has been in US custody since 2002 and is accused of masterminding the October 2000 Al-Qaeda attack that killed 17 US sailors.