A military judge has set June 5, 2028 as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, along with three co-defendants. The decision comes after years of delays in the case against the four men, who have been held at Guantanamo Bay since the early 2000s.
Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, presiding over the military commission, rejected prosecutors’ request to begin the trial in January 2027. Instead, he outlined a timeline contingent on both prosecution and defense teams meeting a series of deadlines, including evidence submission and procedural milestones. Opening statements would follow 30 days after a jury is empaneled, though defendants may defer their statements until after prosecutors present their case.
The defendants—Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al-Hawasawi, and Ammar al-Baluchi—face charges related to the 9/11 attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people. The trial date is set nearly 25 years after the attacks, which occurred on September 11, 2001.
Schrama’s order includes provisions for both sides to seek procedural adjustments. Prosecutors may reopen their case to address deficiencies 45 days after presenting initial evidence, while defendants have 14 days to seek a not-guilty ruling after prosecutors rest their case. The defense then has 14 days to respond, followed by seven days for prosecutors.
The decision follows a military appeals court review of an earlier judge’s ruling to suppress the confession of Ammar al-Baluchi, one of the defendants. The case has faced repeated delays since the men were transferred to Guantanamo Bay in the early 2000s, with prosecutors and defense teams frequently clashing over procedural and legal challenges.
The trial’s scheduling comes two years after then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked plea deals previously offered to Mohammed, bin Attash, and Mustafa al-Hawasawi. The revocation followed legal and political disputes over the terms of the agreements.
The military commission process has been criticized by some legal experts and advocacy groups for its lack of transparency and prolonged detention of suspects without trial. Supporters of the proceedings argue that the military commission system is necessary to address national security threats posed by terrorism.
The case remains one of the most high-profile and long-running legal proceedings stemming from the 9/11 attacks, with the trial date now set nearly a quarter-century after the events in question.