Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: US court rules alleged 9/11 mastermind's confessions cannot be used against him in trial

A US military judge has ruled that confessions made by alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to FBI agents cannot be used against him in his upcoming trial, according to The New York Times. The decision was made just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead in New York, Washington, and Pennsylvania.

The trial for Mohammed and three other alleged plotters has been set for June 5, 2028, at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Mohammed, also known as KSM, was one of Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants before his capture in Pakistan in 2003. Prosecutors had previously excluded statements made by Mohammed after his capture and during harsh treatment at CIA prisons, but Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama has now found that his interrogations in 2007 at Guantanamo were also inadmissible.

Schrama stated that the prosecution failed to prove Mohammed's statements to the FBI were voluntary, citing continued coercion and failure by FBI agents to inform Mohammed of his right to remain silent and consult a lawyer. The trial has faced numerous delays and a plea deal that would have avoided the death penalty was withdrawn last year following victim relatives' protests.

Legal disputes in the 9/11 defendants' cases center around their potential fair trial after undergoing torture by the CIA.