Alleged mastermind of 9/11 will finally head to trial, a judge declares nearly 25 years after terror attacks
The man accused of masterminding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks will finally face trial in 2028.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three of his alleged co-conspirators have been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2003, as the trial for allegedly planning the heinous attack repeatedly got delayed.
Government prosecutors had since requested to bring the case to trial in January 2027, but Judge Lt Col Michael Schrama rejected the bid on Wednesday – and instead set a trial date for June 5, 2028, ABC News reports.
The decision comes just weeks before the 25th anniversary of the attacks.
It also comes two years after then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin dramatically revoked plea deals in which Mohammed, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi would plead guilty to conspiracy in exchange for life sentences.
Government prosecutors had negotiated the deals with defense attorneys under government auspices, and the top official for the military commission at Guantanamo Bay had approved them.
But within days of the deals becoming in 2024, Austin issued a brief order saying he was nullifying them – clearing the way for Mohammed and the others to face the death penalty.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is due to face trial in 2028. He is pictured shortly after his capture during a raid in Pakistan in 2003
The judge’s ruling comes weeks before the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks
Plea bargains in possible death penalty cases tied to one of the gravest crimes ever carried out on U.S. soil were a momentous step that should only be decided by the defense secretary, Austin said at the time.
His assertion came after families of victims of 9/11 said they were ‘deeply troubled’ when they learning of the deals.
‘We are deeply troubled by these plea deals. While we acknowledge the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information,’ 9/11 Justice President Brett Eagleson said at the time.
‘These plea deals should not perpetuate a system of closed-door agreements, where crucial information is hidden without giving the families of the victims the chance to learn the full truth.’
The prosecution of the men has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes, especially over the legal ramifications of the interrogation under torture that the men initially underwent while in CIA custody.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
