Trial date set for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed after plea deal rejected

A military judge has scheduled a trial date of June 5, 2028, for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, and three co-defendants. This decision follows the rejection of a previous plea agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to avoid the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea. The judge, Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, declined the prosecution's request for an earlier trial start in January 2027, citing the need for additional time to resolve outstanding pretrial issues.

The rejected plea deal, which had been negotiated to offer life imprisonment without parole, was initially accepted but later rescinded by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in August 2024. This reversal was subsequently upheld by a federal appeals court in Washington D.C. in July 2025, which affirmed Austin's authority to withdraw the agreement. The court's decision effectively paved the way for the case to proceed toward a potential death penalty trial.

Mohammed and his co-defendants have been held at the U.S. military facility in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, since 2003. The legal proceedings have been protracted over more than two decades, marked by numerous challenges and disputes, including those concerning evidence obtained through controversial interrogation methods.