US military judge has set June 5, 2028, as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the attacks.

Updated on: Aug 27, 2026, 06:35:15 IST

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More than 26 years after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, a US military judge has set June 5, 2028, as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the attacks.

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama ruled that the prosecution’s proposed January 2027 trial date was unrealistic. This is because significant pretrial disputes remain unresolved. Those include disagreements over evidence that prosecutors intend to present and procedural issues that must be settled before jurors can hear the case.

Previous trial dates have repeatedly been delayed because of legal challenges and doubts about evidence that were obtained after the defendants’ detention.

Why has Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s trial taken so long?

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been in US custody since 2003. He was captured in Pakistan. The US authorities accuse him of planning and directing the 9/11 attacks, in which 19 al-Qaida hijackers commandeered four commercial aircraft.

Two planes struck New York City’s World Trade Center, another hit the Pentagon, and a fourth crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers fought back against the hijackers.

The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people and remain the deadliest terrorist assault on American soil.

Mohammed is standing trial alongside three alleged co-conspirators:

• Walid bin Attash
• Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (Ammar al-Baluchi)
• Mustafa al-Hawsawi

All four remain detained at the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay.

This story is developing.

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