A US military judge has set the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks, and three other accused conspirators for June 5, 2028. The trial will take place more than 25 years after the attacks and over two decades following their arrests.

Mohammed, once considered one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants, was captured in Pakistan in March 2003. He spent three years in secret CIA prisons before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay in 2006. Alongside Mohammed, co-defendants Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi face charges of helping organize or facilitate the attacks.

The accused are charged with developing and directing the plot to hijack passenger planes and crash them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in Pennsylvania. The trial date was set 18 months later than prosecutors requested to allow more time to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements over admissible evidence.

The Biden administration rejected a plea deal after two years of negotiations, and a US appeals court blocked previous plea agreements that would have allowed Mohammed and two co-defendants to avoid the death penalty. The defense is scheduled to begin presenting its case 60 days after the prosecution concludes, with the trial concluding in a sentencing phase.

The case highlights ongoing legal challenges, including concerns about whether the defendants can receive a fair trial after alleged torture during CIA custody. The US has used Guantánamo Bay, an isolated naval base, to detain militants captured during the "War on Terror," aiming to limit their legal rights under US law.

The trial could still be delayed if pretrial deadlines are not met.

Sources