Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Trial: How Alleged 9/11 Mastermind Plotted Attacks

A U.S. military judge has set a trial date of June 5, 2028, for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks. Mohammed, a Pakistani national, is slated to face charges alongside four others held at the U.S. naval base in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. The date comes nearly 27 years after the hijackers flew commercial aircraft into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon, killing almost 3,000 people.

The trial will be held after a June 2027 deadline was deemed incompatible with ongoing pretrial litigation. The judge stated that sufficient time must be given to resolve evidentiary and compliance motions, including disputes over the suppression of certain FBI-documented statements. Mohammed, known as KSM, grew up in Kuwait and studied engineering before moving to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, where he graduated in 1986.

He is believed to have been the "principal architect" and "chief manager" of the 9/11 operation, as described by the 9/11 Commission.

Mohammed's involvement in earlier terrorism plots, such as the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the unrealized Bojinka plot, is central to understanding the warnings missed by U.S. agencies. He evaded capture following the Bojinka plot's exposure in the Philippines in 1995. Despite numerous attempts, including in Qatar, he remained at large until his eventual capture.

Mohammed is accused of conceiving and managing the 9/11 operation from abroad while his associates, including Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, played roles in the financing, training, and execution of the attacks.