9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to face trial in June 2028
A spokesman for the US military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Mohammed is being held, said Thursday that the trial is scheduled to begin on June 5, 2028.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 2001 September 11 attacks, and three fellow defendants will be facing trial in a US military tribunal starting June 5, 2028, as per a scheduling order issued by a military judge. The trial, which will be conducted by a panel of military personnel functioning as the jury, has been delayed by numerous legal disputes involving the four men currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
The defendants include Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. The proceedings will commence with the selection of a panel and opening statements 30 days after their appointment. Prosecutors will present their evidence, followed by the defendants' chance to request not guilty verdicts.
The defense will present its main evidence 60 days after the prosecution's conclusion, leading to the sentencing phase. The trial was rejected by the prosecution in January 2027 due to insufficient time to resolve outstanding pretrial issues. The Court of Appeals last month denied Mohammed and two co-defendants' attempts to plead guilty under agreements that would have spared them the death penalty, overturning previous decisions.
The latest trial date comes after former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked plea deals in August, following Republican criticism.
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