9/11 mastermind trial set for June 2028

A US air force judge has scheduled the military trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of masterminding the September 11th, 2001 attacks, and three co-defendants to begin on June 5, 2028.

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama issued the trial-scheduling order, marking the latest development in a prosecution that has been stalled for two decades by legal complexities surrounding the four detainees held at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The judge rejected the prosecution's earlier proposal to commence the trial in January 2027, stating it would not allow adequate time for resolving pre-trial evidentiary and compliance motions.

This decision follows a recent ruling by a US appeals court that denied Mohammed and two co-defendants the opportunity to enter guilty pleas under agreements that would have prevented the death penalty. The appellate court's decision overturned earlier rulings by a military judge and the US court of military commission review that had supported the plea deal.

The proposed agreement, offered and accepted by the Pentagon official overseeing the Guantánamo war court last year, was ultimately revoked in August by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin following criticism from Republican lawmakers. Under the new order, Mohammed, along with Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin ‘Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, will proceed to trial, which will include jury selection, opening statements, and the presentation of evidence, culminating in a sentencing phase.