A judge from the U.S. Air Force has set a trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. The trial, scheduled for June 2028, will involve Mohammed and three co-defendants facing a military tribunal.
This decision by Lt. Col. Michael Schrama marks a significant development in the prolonged legal proceedings surrounding the detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, over the past two decades. Recently, a U.S. appeals court denied the opportunity for Mohammed and two co-defendants to plead guilty under agreements that would have avoided the death penalty. This appellate ruling overturned previous decisions supporting the plea deal.
The trial is set to commence on June 5, 2028, with Mohammed, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and two other co-defendants. Schrama dismissed the prosecutors’ suggestion to start the trial in January 2027, citing the need for more time to address pretrial motions. This trial date comes after multiple delays, including disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The legality of certain evidence has been a contentious issue in the case, given reports of torture inflicted on Mohammed and other detainees at CIA detention facilities. Mohammed, who is accused of planning the attacks that targeted the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, remains a prominent figure among Guantanamo’s inmates. The facility initially housed numerous foreign militant suspects following the 9/11 attacks, but only a small number remain detained there currently.
The September 11 attacks resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 individuals, including 26 Canadian citizens. Al-Qaeda, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. in 1999, claimed responsibility for the tragic events. Mohammed’s nephew, Ramzi Yousef, is serving a prison sentence in Colorado for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing that claimed six lives.