Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to face trial in summer 2028

A U.S. military judge has set a summer 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and three co-defendants.

The trial is scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, a delay of 18 months from the January 2027 start date prosecutors had sought. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama cited the need for additional time to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements over evidence admissibility.

For over two decades, the U.S. military and successive administrations have grappled with bringing Mohammed and his alleged accomplices to justice. Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the plot to crash hijacked airliners into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with a fourth plane crashing in Pennsylvania. He faces trial alongside Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The path to trial has been protracted and dramatic. Mohammed has previously sought attention through requests to wear military gear in court and by criticizing courtroom sketches. A federal appeals court last year overturned a plea agreement that would have spared him the death penalty in exchange for life sentences and answering questions from victims' families. The Biden administration repudiated the deal amid significant political backlash after it was negotiated for two years.