Justice Delayed: 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Finally Set for 2028 Trial.
A U.S. military judge has set a June 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants in the September 11 attacks, pushing the start back 18 months from prosecutors’ requested schedule to resolve lingering legal disputes. The case has been mired in delays for over two decades.
A U.S. military judge has scheduled the long-delayed trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, for June 2028, alongside three co-defendants held at Guantanamo Bay. The ruling, delivered by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael A. Schrama, sets the proceedings to begin 27 years after the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, marking the latest twist in a prosecution plagued by legal deadlock.
The judge rejected prosecutors’ request for a January 2027 start date, ruling that the timeline would not allow adequate time to resolve outstanding pretrial disputes, including arguments over what evidence can be presented and the admissibility of statements obtained from the defendants . Under the scheduling order, jury selection—comprising a panel of military service members—will begin on June 5, 2028, with opening statements to follow 30 days later . The defense will begin presenting its case 60 days after prosecutors conclude theirs.
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The case against Mohammed and his alleged accomplices—Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi—has been stalled for years . The four have been held at the U.S. naval base in Cuba since 2006, after Mohammed’s capture in Pakistan in 2003 . He has previously claimed responsibility for planning the 9/11 operation “from A-to-Z,” having proposed the plot to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
The trial date follows the formal collapse of plea agreements that would have seen Mohammed and two co-defendants admit guilt in exchange for life sentences without parole, avoiding the death penalty . Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked those agreements in August 2024 after political criticism, a decision later upheld by a federal appeals court . The agreements were previously thrown out by a federal appeals court, clearing the way for the case to proceed toward a capital trial .
To protect the newly scheduled trial date, military prosecutors recently decided not to appeal a ruling suppressing certain statements made by Mohammed in 2007, which were obtained under what a judge described as “severe coercion” without the opportunity to consult an attorney . An appeal could have taken years to resolve, risking further delays. “An appeal could jeopardize the hard-earned June 5, 2028, trial date,” the prosecution team’s liaison to victims wrote in a letter.
The September 11 attacks saw hijacked planes flown into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while another crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The trial, once scheduled for 2021, has faced repeated postponements over procedural and evidentiary matters . Legal experts note that even the 2028 date remains conditional on the case meeting numerous milestones and could face additional delays . Military prosecutors have stated they are moving forward without certain confessions to avoid years of appeals that would further delay the proceedings.
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