Alleged 9/11 mastermind to go on trial in June 2028

The US Air Force has scheduled the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks, and three co-defendants for June 2028, according to a recent ruling by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama. This marks a significant development in the ongoing military prosecution that has been stalled for two decades due to legal complications involving the four detainees at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Recently, a US appeals court denied Mohammed and two of his co-defendants the option to plead guilty under a deal that would have spared them the death penalty. This decision overturned previous rulings by a military judge and the US Court of Military Commission Review that had supported the plea agreement. The plea deal, offered last year and accepted by the official overseeing the Pentagon’s Guantanamo war court, was later withdrawn by then-Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin due to opposition from Republican lawmakers.

Under Schrama's 11-page order, Mohammed and his co-defendants, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, will face trial beginning on June 5, 2028. The proceedings will commence with the selection of a jury panel, entirely composed of military personnel, to hear the case under military justice rules.

Opening statements are set to begin 30 days after the panel is seated, followed by the prosecution presenting its evidence. Defendants will have the opportunity to file motions for findings of not guilty, after which the prosecution may reopen its case. The defense will present its principal evidence 60 days after the prosecution concludes its case.

The trial will conclude with a sentencing phase. Schrama declined the prosecution's suggestion to start the trial in January 2027, citing insufficient time for the resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions. Mohammed is the most recognizable detainee at Guantanamo, known for orchestrating the 9/11 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001.