A U.S. military tribunal has set June 5, 2028 as the start date for the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States.
The scheduling decision, issued by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama in an 11-page ruling, rejected a prosecution proposal to begin proceedings in January 2027. Schrama stated the earlier date would not allow adequate time for pre-trial evidentiary and compliance resolutions. The trial will proceed with the selection of an all-military panel followed by opening statements 30 days later.
Prosecution evidence will be presented first, with the defense presenting its case starting 60 days after the prosecution’s arguments conclude. The proceedings will culminate in a sentencing phase if a conviction is secured.
The four defendants, including Mohammed and co-defendants Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, are currently held at the Guantánamo Bay detention facility in Cuba. The facility was established in 2002 under then-President George W. Bush to house foreign militant suspects following the 2001 attacks.
A recent appeals court ruling blocked a plea agreement that would have spared Mohammed and two co-defendants the death penalty. The plea deal had been accepted by the official overseeing the Pentagon’s war court at Guantánamo but was overturned amid criticism from Republican lawmakers. The military judge’s scheduling order follows the revocation of the agreement by then-Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in August of the prior year.
