The alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terror attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is set to face trial in June 2028, more than 26 years after the US government characterized the events as “the most egregious criminal act on American soil in modern history.”
A military judge determined that a trial start date of June 5, 2028, was appropriate, rejecting an earlier 2027 date proposed by prosecutors as insufficient for adequate preparation.
Mohammed had previously negotiated a plea agreement that would have allowed him to admit guilt in exchange for avoiding a death-penalty trial. However, a federal appeals court invalidated the deal last summer. Following his arrest in 2003, he has been held at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility since September 2006.
Mohammed has previously stated that he was responsible for the “9/11 operation from A-to-Z.”
US Air Force judge Lt Col Michael A. Schrama issued the ruling on Wednesday, setting the trial date for Mohammed and three co-accused individuals: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The judge noted that the scheduled start date provides additional time to address various court matters, including resolving disputes regarding the admissibility of evidence.
Next month will mark 25 years since hijackers flew commercial planes into the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Virginia, while a fourth hijacked plane crashed in a field in Pennsylvania. The attacks resulted in approximately 3,000 deaths.
Mohammed is accused of developing the concept of training pilots to fly commercial aircraft into buildings and presenting these plans to al-Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden.
Mohammed, a US-educated engineer, was captured alongside al-Hawsawi in Pakistan in March 2003.
The rejected plea deal, which would have resulted in a life sentence without the possibility of parole, was the product of two years of negotiations and was signed by an official appointed by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
However, Austin was reportedly caught off guard by the agreement and immediately moved to revoke it.
The Guantanamo Bay detention facility was established six months following the September 11 attacks.
Approximately 15 prisoners remain detained at the facility.
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