Trial for accused mastermind of 9/11 attacks set for June 2028

A US Air Force judge has ordered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, along with three co-defendants, to stand trial before a military tribunal in June 2028. The decision follows a two-decade-long legal stalemate surrounding the four detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

In March 2003, a photo of Mohammed at the detention camp was obtained. The latest milestone comes after a US appeals court refused to allow Mohammed and two of his co-defendants to plead guilty under an agreement that would have spared them the death penalty. This decision overturned earlier rulings by a military judge and the US Court of Military Commission Review, which had supported the plea deal.

The agreement was initially offered last year and accepted by the Pentagon's Guantanamo war court overseer but was revoked in August by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin due to criticism from Republican lawmakers. Under the new 11-page order by Judge Schrama, the trial will begin on June 5, 2028, with the selection of a jury panel comprising solely of service members.

Opening statements are set to commence 30 days after the panel is seated, followed by the presentation of the prosecution's evidence and the defendants' potential motions for not guilty findings.

After the prosecution concludes its case, both sides will have the opportunity to argue motions and rebut one another, after which the defense presents its principal evidence. The trial will conclude with a sentencing phase. Schrama rejected the prosecution's proposal to open the trial in January 2027, citing insufficient time for pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.

Mohammed, the most well-known inmate at Guantanamo, is accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. The other co-defendants are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.