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// DOSSIER — trial-date-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-june-2028
Trial Date Set for 9/11 Mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and Co-Defendants for June 2028
REL_TIME: 29 Aug 2026 07:12Z · LANG: EN
A U.S. military judge, Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, has scheduled the trial for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three alleged co-conspirators for June 5, 2028. This decision follows decades of legal delays and the recent judicial revocation of plea deals that would have spared the defendants the death penalty. The trial, to be held at Guantanamo Bay, will address the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people. The 2028 date was chosen over a proposed 2027 start to allow sufficient time for resolving complex pretrial evidentiary disputes, including those related to the defendants' treatment in CIA custody and FBI suppression motions.
// Background
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in 2003 and spent three years in secret CIA prisons before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006. The case has faced unprecedented delays due to legal challenges regarding the admissibility of evidence obtained through 'enhanced interrogation' techniques and shifting administrative policies regarding military commissions. A previous trial date in 2021 was canceled, and a 2024 plea deal that would have traded guilty pleas for life sentences was ultimately rescinded by the Pentagon.
// Key Developments
- Trial scheduled to begin June 5, 2028, at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay.
- Defendants include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al-Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.
- Judge Michael Schrama rejected a prosecution request for a January 2027 start, citing the need to resolve pretrial motions.
- The trial follows a 2025 appeals court ruling that upheld Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's decision to revoke plea deals.
- Proceedings have been stalled for years due to disputes over evidence obtained through torture in CIA secret prisons.
// Timeline
-
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is captured during a raid in Pakistan.
-
Mohammed and co-defendants arrive at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility after being held in CIA black sites.
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A previously scheduled trial date for the 9/11 accused is canceled.
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Mohammed and two co-defendants strike a plea deal to avoid the death penalty; Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revokes it within days.
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A federal appeals court in D.C. rules 2-1 that Austin had the authority to withdraw the plea deals.
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Judge Michael Schrama issues a scheduling order setting the trial for June 2028.
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Scheduled start for jury selection in the military commission trial.
// Perspectives
[Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama]
Emphasizing the necessity of a realistic timeline to resolve complex pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions before proceeding to a trial on the merits.
[Lloyd Austin (U.S. Defense Secretary)]
Opposed to plea deals that removed the death penalty, asserting that the decision on capital punishment should rest with the Secretary of Defense and that the public deserves a full trial.
[U.S. Appeals Court (D.C. Circuit)]
Supported the Defense Secretary's legal authority to revoke plea deals, declining to second-guess the executive branch's judgment.
// Quotes
“A realistic trial date must account for the hearing and resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.”
“The Secretary determined that the families and the American public deserve the opportunity to see military commission trials carried out.”
