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

A US military judge has ruled that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, will go on trial in June 2028. Mohammed, who is accused of orchestrating the plot to fly hijacked passenger jetliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in 2001, causing nearly 3,000 deaths, is the most recognizable inmate at Guantanamo Bay detention facility in Cuba.

His trial, alongside three co-defendants, will commence on June 5, 2028. US authorities have spent over two decades attempting to bring the case to trial, and the date is set 18 months later than prosecutors had initially requested. Lt Col Michael Schrama, the US Air Force judge, rejected a proposal to begin the trial in January 2027 due to insufficient time for pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.

The trial may face further delays if pretrial deadlines are not met. A previous trial scheduled for 2021 was cancelled. In July 2024, a US appeals court denied Mohammed and two of his co-defendants the option to plead guilty under a 2024 agreement, as the deal would have spared them the death penalty. The agreement was later revoked by then defence secretary Lloyd Austin following criticism from Republican lawmakers.

The trial proceedings will begin with the selection of a panel of service members who will serve as the jury, with opening statements set to take place 30 calendar days after the panel is seated.