A US military judge on Wednesday set June 5, 2028, as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three other men accused of plotting the September 11, 2001, attacks in the United States. The date is 18 months later than the January 2027 trial schedule sought by prosecutors.

In his ruling, Air Force Lt Col Michael A Schrama said the additional time was required to resolve outstanding pretrial disputes, including disagreements over which evidence can be presented during the proceedings. The trial will proceed only if the case meets the required deadlines and milestones, and the start date could still be pushed back again.

Case Has Remained Unresolved For More Than Two Decades

The proceedings have dragged on for more than 20 years, with the US military and successive administrations repeatedly struggling to bring the case to trial. A previous trial date had been set for 2021, but those proceedings were later cancelled.

Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot to hijack commercial aircraft and crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth hijacked plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania.

He will be tried alongside three alleged accomplices: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. The four men are among the last detainees still being held at the US military base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

Guilty Plea Deal Was Previously Rejected

The case also faced a major setback last year when a federal appeals court overturned an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the possibility of execution for his role in the 2001 al-Qaida attacks.

Under the proposed arrangement, Mohammed and two of his co-defendants would have received life sentences without parole. The agreement would also have required the defendants to provide answers to unresolved questions that victims’ families continue to have about the attacks.

The deal had been negotiated for two years before former President Joe Biden’s administration repudiated it, leaving the case to continue through the military commission process.

The military court has now scheduled the trial for June 2028, although several key pretrial disputes remain unresolved. The case’s history of repeated delays means further changes to the timetable remain possible.

Long or Short, get news the way you like. No ads. No redirections. Download Newspin and Stay Alert, The CSR Journal Mobile app, for fast, crisp, clean updates!

App Store –  https://apps.apple.com/in/app/newspin/id6746449540 

Google Play Store – https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.inventifweb.newspin&pcampaignid=web_share