June 2028 Trial Set for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Three Co‑Accused

U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama issued the order on Wednesday, fixing June 5, 2028 as the opening date for the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the September 11 attacks, and his three co‑defendants: Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al‑Hawsawi and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.

The decision follows a recent appeals court ruling that revoked a 2024 plea agreement that would have allowed Mohammed and two of his co‑defendants to avoid the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea. The agreement was overturned by then‑Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and upheld by the court.

Schrama rejected a prosecution request to start the trial in early 2027, citing the need to resolve pretrial evidentiary disputes, particularly those related to evidence obtained while the defendants were held in secret CIA prisons and subjected to torture. The judge stated that a realistic trial date must allow sufficient time for these motions to be heard and resolved.

The trial will begin with jury selection, followed 30 days later by opening statements. The defense will present its case 60 days after the prosecution concludes, and the proceedings will close with a sentencing phase.

Mohammed, regarded as a key lieutenant to al‑Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, was captured by U.S. forces in Pakistan in March 2003. He spent three years in secret CIA prisons before being transferred to Guantánamo Bay in 2006.

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