Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Set for Long-Delayed 2028 9/11 Trial
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of helping plan the September 11 attacks in the United States.
He and three other defendants are scheduled to face a military trial at Guantanamo Bay.
A judge set the trial to begin on June 5, 2028.
Prosecutors wanted the trial to start sooner, in January 2027, but the judge refused.
The case has been delayed many times for more than two decades.
Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and later held in secret CIA facilities.
His lawyers say statements from CIA interrogations should not be used in court.
Another person charged in the case, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, was found unable to stand trial because of severe psychological problems.
A military judge set June 5, 2028, for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's trial.
Mohammed is accused of being the principal architect of the September 11 attacks.
He will face trial with Walid bin Attash, Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
Prosecutors sought a January 2027 trial, but the judge rejected that earlier date.
The case has been delayed by disputes over evidence, procedures, and CIA detention practices.
- Who
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi; Ramzi bin al-Shibh was found mentally incompetent to stand trial.
- What
- A US military commission trial concerning alleged roles in the September 11 attacks.
- When
- The trial is scheduled to begin on June 5, 2028; Mohammed was captured on March 1, 2003.
- Where
- The proceedings are scheduled at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.
- Why
- The defendants face charges related to the September 11 plot, after years of delays involving classified evidence, legal procedures, and detention practices.
Prosecution and Government Position
Defense and Defendants' Position
Trial schedule
Prosecution and Government Position
Prosecutors sought an earlier trial beginning in January 2027.
Defense and Defendants' Position
The judge rejected the earlier request and set proceedings for June 2028; the articles do not specify the defense's preferred date.
Interrogation evidence
Prosecution and Government Position
The prosecution is pursuing the case despite disputes over evidence connected to CIA detention and interrogation.
Defense and Defendants' Position
Defense lawyers argue that statements and evidence obtained during alleged coercive interrogations, including waterboarding and sleep deprivation, should not be used.
Plea agreement
Prosecution and Government Position
Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin moved to block a 2024 agreement under which Mohammed and two co-defendants would plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment; an appeals court later ruled Austin had authority to reject it.
Defense and Defendants' Position
Mohammed and two co-defendants agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment rather than face the death penalty.
- Trial date
- June 5, 2028
- Trial venue
- Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
- Lead defendant
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, also known as KSM
- Other trial defendants
- Walid bin Attash, Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi
- Capture
- Mohammed was captured in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, on March 1, 2003.
- CIA detention
- He was held in secret CIA facilities for about three and a half years before arriving at Guantanamo in September 2006.
- Earlier proposed date
- Prosecutors requested January 2027, but the judge rejected that schedule.
