9/11 alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed set for trial in 2028

The long-delayed trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, has been scheduled to begin on June 5, 2028, nearly 27 years after the attacks.

US Air Force Lt Col Michael Schrama, the military judge overseeing the case, set the date in an order issued Wednesday, rejecting prosecutors’ proposal to begin the trial in January 2027.

He said more time was needed to resolve outstanding pretrial disputes, particularly over what evidence can be presented.

Mohammed and three co-defendants—Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi—will face trial before a military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. All four are accused of involvement in planning and executing the 9/11 plot, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

The case has been repeatedly delayed. A trial date was previously set for 2021, but proceedings were postponed amid years of legal disputes and negotiations over possible plea agreements. The latest schedule also does not guarantee that the trial will begin as planned, given the unresolved legal issues surrounding the case.

The September 11 attacks were carried out by 19 al-Qaeda hijackers who seized four commercial aircraft. Two planes were flown into New York’s World Trade Center, another struck the Pentagon near Washington, and the fourth crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control.

Mohammed has been held in US custody since his capture in Pakistan in 2003 and was transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. The prosecution alleges that he was the principal architect of the attacks and worked with al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden to turn the plot into an operation.