A US military judge has scheduled the long-delayed trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the man accused of being the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, for June 5, 2028.
The trial will take place before a military commission at the US detention facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where Mohammed has been held since 2006. He was captured in Pakistan in 2003.
Mohammed will stand trial alongside three co-defendants: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi. The four men are accused of various roles in planning and facilitating the September 11 attacks, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 3,000 people.
The decision to set the trial date represents a significant development in a case that has been delayed for more than two decades. Prosecutors had requested that the proceedings begin in January 2027, but military judge Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama rejected that timetable.
According to the judge’s scheduling order, more time is required to resolve outstanding pre-trial disputes, particularly disagreements concerning what evidence can be presented during the proceedings.
The September 11 attacks remain one of the most significant terrorist attacks in modern US history. On September 11, 2001, hijacked passenger aircraft were used in attacks that targeted the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Virginia, while another aircraft crashed in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Mohammed is accused of developing and directing the plot. The charges against him and his co-defendants include conspiracy, hijacking and murder, among other offences.
The case has faced repeated delays because of complex legal disputes surrounding evidence, the treatment of the defendants while in US custody and other procedural matters.
A proposed plea agreement had also created further uncertainty. Mohammed and two of his co-defendants had reached an agreement that would have involved guilty pleas and removed the possibility of the death penalty in exchange for life sentences. However, the agreement was subsequently challenged and was ultimately rejected following further legal proceedings.
The handling of evidence obtained during earlier CIA interrogations has been another major issue in the case. Defence lawyers have argued that the circumstances surrounding some of the defendants’ earlier treatment could affect whether certain statements or evidence should be admitted at trial.
Despite the new date, the case could still face additional delays if outstanding legal issues are not resolved according to the schedule.
The planned June 2028 proceedings will begin with the selection of military personnel to serve as the trial panel. The prosecution and defence will then present their respective cases before the proceedings eventually move to a sentencing phase if convictions are secured.
For families of the victims and others who have followed the case for years, the scheduled date represents another step toward bringing the long-running legal process to a conclusion.
Source: Thepressradio.com
