Guantanamo Bay, an isolated US naval base in Cuba, has been used to hold people captured during the US-led military campaign that followed the 9/11 attacks.
Washington: Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, is set to go on trial before a US military court in June 2028, more than two decades after the attacks.
The long-delayed trial of Mohammed and three other alleged 9/11 plotters is scheduled to begin on June 5, 2028, at the US naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a court spokesperson said on Thursday.
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The other defendants are Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.
Why has the 9/11 trial been delayed?
Prosecutors had sought to begin the trial in January 2027. However, the military judge presiding over the case said additional time was required to resolve outstanding pretrial disputes.
The proceedings have been delayed repeatedly over the years, with much of the legal battle centred on whether the defendants can receive a fair trial after being subjected to torture while held by the CIA.
A plea agreement that would have removed the possibility of the death penalty was also withdrawn last year following objections from relatives of some victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Who is Khalid Sheikh Mohammed?
Mohammed, widely known as KSM, was regarded as one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's senior lieutenants before his capture in Pakistan in March 2003.
He was held at secret CIA detention facilities for around three years before being transferred to the US military prison at Guantanamo Bay in 2006.
A trained engineer, Mohammed has claimed that he masterminded the 9/11 attacks “from A to Z”. He has also claimed involvement in several other attacks and plots targeting the United States.
Mohammed was born in Kuwait to Pakistani parents and studied at university in the US.
What happened on September 11, 2001?
The 9/11 attacks involved the hijacking of four commercial aircraft.
Two planes were flown into New York's World Trade Center towers, while another struck the Pentagon in Washington. The fourth aircraft crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the plane.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which triggered the US-led “War on Terror” and a major shift in American foreign and security policy.
Mohammed has also claimed involvement in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing, which killed six people, and has said he personally killed US journalist Daniel Pearl in 2002.
Why are the defendants being tried at Guantanamo?
Guantanamo Bay, an isolated US naval base in Cuba, has been used to hold people captured during the US-led military campaign that followed the 9/11 attacks.
The facility once held around 800 prisoners. Over the years, many detainees have been transferred or released to other countries, leaving only a small number at the facility.
The 9/11 case has remained one of the most closely watched proceedings connected to the attacks, with questions over interrogation practices, alleged torture and the defendants' treatment continuing to complicate the path towards trial.
The latest schedule means the proceedings against Mohammed and the three other defendants are now expected to begin more than 26 years after the September 11 attacks.
(AFP)
Published: 27 Aug 2026, 11:12 pm IST
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