Decades later: Suspected 9/11 “mastermind” finally gets trial date

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, has finally been scheduled to face trial after more than two decades of legal delays and political obstacles surrounding the case that killed thousands of people.

A military judge has set June 5, 2028, as the start date for the proceedings, which are expected to take place at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where Mohammed has been held for years, as American media outlets report.

The ruling represents the latest attempt to move one of the longest-running and most contentious terrorism cases in US history toward a courtroom showdown. By setting the date, the judge rejected prosecutors' request to begin the trial in January 2027.

However, legal experts warn that the scheduling does not guarantee that proceedings will actually begin as planned, as major pretrial disputes that have been serving as obstacles throughout the years still remain unresolved, including battles over evidence, classified information and statements obtained during years of CIA detention and coercive interrogation.

Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, commonly referred to as KSM, was captured at a hideout in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, in 2003 as part of the US "war on terror" campaign launched following the 9/11 attacks.

He faces charges alongside four co-defendants, all of whom have been held at Guantanamo Bay. Mohammed is widely regarded by authorities as the principal architect of the attacks, in which hijackers seized four passenger planes. Two were flown into New York's World Trade Center towers, while a third crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. The fourth aircraft, which was believed to be headed toward a target in Washington, DC, crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers and crew attempted to regain control of the plane.

American investigative bodies have concluded that a total of 2,977 people were killed as a result of these attacks, with thousands more injured and having suffered from long-term health consequences. These figures include the hundreds of law enforcement and firefighting personnel who were active in the immediate aftermath of the attacks, but do not include the 19 terrorists who were tasked with executing the hijacking of the planes.

Legal hurdles along path to justice

The newly scheduled trial date follows a years-long legal saga that has included a controversial plea agreement that was subsequently revoked.

In July 2024, Mohammed and two other 9/11 defendants held at Guantanamo reached a plea agreement with military prosecutors under which they would plead guilty to all charges, including the murder of 2,976 people, in exchange for prosecutors taking the death penalty off the table.

The agreement prompted criticism from some 9/11 victims' families, and just days later then-Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked it.

"I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009," Austin wrote.

After the defendants' attorneys challenged the decision, the Biden administration took the matter to federal court in an attempt to continue blocking the plea agreement.

Last July, a federal appeals court in Washington, DC, ruled 2-1 that Austin had acted within his authority when he revoked the deal.

The case also involves three other alleged co-conspirators: Walid bin Attash, Ammar al-Baluchi and KSM's nephew Mustafa al-Hawsawi. A fourth original defendant, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, has been deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial after developing severe psychological problems associated with his detention and alleged mistreatment.

Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Mohammed and the other defendants facing trial.

Questionable conduct by US authorities

The 9/11 prosecution has repeatedly been delayed by disputes surrounding the military commission system, classified evidence, defence access, changes in judges and, most significantly, allegations that CIA torture contaminated the defendants' confessions.

Following his capture in 2003, KSM was transferred to the CIA's secret detention network, where he spent roughly three and a half years in clandestine facilities outside the United States.

According to declassified investigations, he was subjected to the CIA's "enhanced interrogation" program, including repeated waterboarding and prolonged sleep deprivation. The interrogation methods have become central to the legal battle over whether statements made by Mohammed and the other defendants can be admitted as evidence at trial.

Defence lawyers have argued that years of CIA detention and coercive interrogation rendered some evidence unreliable or legally inadmissible. Mohammed's alleged confessions are particularly significant because they were obtained following extensive CIA interrogation.

The US government, meanwhile, continues to seek the admission of evidence under the rules governing military commissions. Filings as recently as July 2026 indicate that disputes over hearsay, classified material, discovery and trial procedures remain active.

By Nazrin Sadigova