Alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial set for June 2028

US Air Force Judge Michael Schrama has scheduled the military tribunal trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants for June 5, 2028, at Guantanamo Bay. The date is 18 months later than requested, allowing time to resolve disputes over evidence obtained under CIA torture. The trial order follows a federal appeals court decision blocking a plea deal that would have spared the defendants the death penalty.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial scheduling

• ▪The trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants is scheduled to take place at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
• ▪US Air Force Judge Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama ordered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants to stand trial before a military tribunal starting June 5, 2028
• ▪The trial proceedings for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants will begin with the selection of a jury panel consisting entirely of military service members
• ▪The June 5, 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants is 18 months later than the January 2027 start date requested by military prosecutors

Pretrial procedural disputes

• ▪US Air Force Judge Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama rejected the January 2027 trial date because it left insufficient time to resolve pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions
• ▪The June 2028 trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants remains tentative and could be delayed further if pretrial deadlines and milestones are not met
• ▪A key legal issue delaying the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants is whether confessions and statements made by the defendants can be admitted as voluntary evidence after they were subjected to torture and waterboarding in CIA custody

Blocked plea deal reversal

• ▪The plea agreement for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants, negotiated over two years, would have required the defendants to answer questions from the families of the September 11, 2001 attack victims
• ▪A US federal appeals court blocked a negotiated plea agreement that would have allowed Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two co-defendants to plead guilty in exchange for life sentences without parole
• ▪Former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants last year amid criticism from Republican lawmakers, a move that was subsequently upheld by an appeals court

Death penalty proceedings

• ▪Under the trial schedule for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants, opening statements will begin 30 days after the jury is seated, and the defense will present its evidence 60 days after the prosecution rests
• ▪Military prosecutors are seeking the death penalty against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his three co-defendants, Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi
• ▪Khalid Sheikh Mohammed faces trial alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi

September 11 attacks background

• ▪Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has claimed responsibility for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and the 2002 beheading of US journalist Daniel Pearl
• ▪Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the September 11, 2001 attacks, which involved hijacking four passenger planes and crashing them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, killing nearly 3,000 people
• ▪Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and was held in secret CIA prisons for three years before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006

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