A U.S. Air Force judge has set a trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, attacks on the United States. Mohammed, along with three co-defendants, will face a military tribunal in June 2028. This decision by Lt.-Col. Michael Schrama marks a significant development in the long-standing legal challenges surrounding the detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, over the past two decades.
Recently, a U.S. appeals court denied Mohammed and two co-defendants the opportunity to plead guilty under agreements that would have spared them from the death penalty. This decision overturned rulings made by a military judge and the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review in support of the plea deal. The offer, initially accepted by the official overseeing Guantanamo’s war court in 2024, was later revoked by Lloyd Austin, who was the defense secretary under President Joe Biden at the time, following concerns raised by some Republican lawmakers.
In an 11-page order, Schrama scheduled the trial for June 5, 2028, for Mohammed and his co-defendants, including Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. Another individual involved in the case was deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. Schrama dismissed the prosecutors’ suggestion to commence the trial in January 2027, citing the need for sufficient time to address pretrial motions and compliance issues.
This trial has seen multiple military judges presiding over the case since Mohammed’s capture in 2003. Initially anticipated for 2021, the trial was postponed due to the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic. Legal disputes have arisen regarding the admissibility of certain evidence, particularly concerning the alleged torture of Mohammed and others at CIA detention sites.
The 9/11 attacks claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 individuals, including 26 Canadian citizens, with al-Qaeda taking responsibility for the tragic events. Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon, as well as the plane crash in Pennsylvania. Despite being one of the most high-profile detainees at Guantanamo, only a few individuals remain incarcerated at the detention facility, following the conviction and repatriation of numerous detainees.
Mohammed’s nephew, Ramzi Yousef, is serving time in a Colorado prison for his role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, which resulted in six fatalities.