Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Trial Set for June 2028

The Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial has been scheduled to begin on June 5, 2028, nearly 27 years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in the United States.

A U.S. military judge at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, set the tentative date on Wednesday, August 26, 2026. The decision moves one of the longest-running terrorism prosecutions in American history toward a potential courtroom trial, although major legal disputes remain unresolved.

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama rejected a government request to begin the proceedings in January 2027. The judge determined that the additional time was necessary to address outstanding pretrial matters, including disputes over what evidence can be presented.

Mohammed is accused of being the principal architect of the 9/11 attacks. He will face trial alongside three alleged co-conspirators: Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi, and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi.

Why the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed Trial Matters

The Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial represents a major milestone in a case that has been delayed for more than two decades.

Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in March 2003. He was subsequently held in the CIA’s secret detention program before being transferred to U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay in 2006.

The defendants were first arraigned in 2008. Since then, the case has been repeatedly delayed by disputes over the military commission system, classified information, evidence, defense access and the treatment of detainees while they were held in CIA custody.

The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described Mohammed as the operational leader of the September 11 plot. A federal indictment alleged that he proposed using commercial aircraft as weapons and worked with Osama bin Laden and other al-Qaeda figures to develop the operation.

The charges are allegations, and the defendants remain entitled to a trial before any verdict is reached.

A Trial Nearly 27 Years After 9/11

The September 11 attacks occurred on September 11, 2001. Four commercial aircraft were hijacked.

Two planes struck the World Trade Center in New York. Another aircraft crashed into the Pentagon in Virginia. United Airlines Flight 93 crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the plane.

The attacks killed 2,976 people, according to the U.S. Justice Department’s description of the federal indictment against the alleged conspirators.

The extraordinary length of the prosecution has become one of the defining features of the case.

If proceedings begin as currently scheduled, the trial will start more than 26 years after the attacks. It will also begin about 20 years after Mohammed and his co-defendants were first arraigned in 2008.

That timeline underscores why the latest scheduling order is receiving significant attention.

Why Was the 2027 Trial Date Rejected?

Military prosecutors had sought to start the trial in January 2027.

Judge Schrama concluded that date was not realistic because several important pretrial issues still need to be resolved. Those disputes include questions surrounding admissible evidence and the procedures that will govern the trial.

The decision does not mean that the case has been dismissed or that the defendants have been cleared.

Instead, it gives the prosecution and defense more time to prepare for what could become an exceptionally complicated military-commission proceeding.

The U.S. Office of Military Commissions confirmed that a ruling and trial-scheduling order was filed on August 26, 2026, in the Khalid Shaikh Mohammed case.

The official military commission docket continues to show active litigation involving the defendants and their lawyers.

The Central Fight Over Evidence

One of the most difficult issues surrounding the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial is the question of evidence obtained during years of detention and interrogation.

Mohammed was held in the CIA’s secret detention program after his 2003 capture. Declassified records have documented the use of harsh interrogation methods during that period.

Defense lawyers have argued that statements made by the defendants after coercive interrogation should not be admitted at trial. Prosecutors, meanwhile, have continued to litigate the admissibility of evidence under the military commission system.

This issue could have a significant effect on the eventual proceedings.

A trial cannot simply move forward because a date has been placed on the calendar. The court must first determine what evidence can legally be presented, which witnesses can testify and how the parties can use classified information.

Those decisions could shape the length and complexity of the proceedings.

Four Defendants Are Scheduled for Trial

Mohammed is one of four defendants currently scheduled to face trial.

The other three are:

• Walid bin Attash
• Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, also known as Ammar al-Baluchi
• Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi

A fifth original defendant, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, is not part of the scheduled trial after being found mentally incompetent to stand trial.

The prosecution has pursued the death penalty in the case, making the legal stakes particularly high.

The defendants’ cases have also been affected by years of litigation over interrogation practices, evidence and the structure of the military commission system.

The Failed Plea Deal

Another major chapter in the case involved a proposed plea agreement.

In 2024, Mohammed and two co-defendants agreed to plead guilty in exchange for life imprisonment rather than face a potential death sentence. The agreement later became the subject of a major legal and political dispute.

Then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin attempted to withdraw the agreements. The subsequent litigation eventually reached federal appeals courts. In July 2025, a divided federal appeals court rejected the plea arrangements, sending the case back toward a trial process. The Supreme Court is considering whether to review that decision.

The collapse of the plea agreement was significant because it reopened the possibility of a death-penalty trial.

It also meant that the government once again needed to prepare for a proceeding that has already consumed years of litigation.

Guantanamo Bay Remains at the Center of the Case

The Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial will take place within the U.S. military commission system at Guantanamo Bay.

The detention facility became one of the most controversial elements of America’s post-9/11 counterterrorism policy.

The U.S. government established the Guantanamo detention system after the September 11 attacks as part of its broader response to terrorism. Mohammed and other high-value detainees were eventually transferred there from the CIA’s secret detention program.

The military commission system has also faced years of legal scrutiny.

In 2011, the Justice Department formally referred the cases of Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators to the Defense Department for prosecution through military commissions. The department had previously considered pursuing the case in federal court but ultimately returned it to the military system.

That history helps explain why the prosecution has taken so long.

What Happens Before the 2028 Trial?

The June 5, 2028, date does not mean the legal proceedings will remain quiet until then.

The defense and prosecution are expected to continue filing motions and responding to decisions involving evidence, classified information, discovery and trial procedures.

The official Office of Military Commissions website continues to publish filings in the case. Recent documents include rulings, defense motions and government filings involving evidence and other pretrial matters.

The court must resolve those disputes before the trial can proceed smoothly.

Military prosecutors had argued that the case should begin much earlier. However, the judge’s scheduling decision reflects the reality that unresolved legal questions could make a January 2027 trial impractical.

The new date therefore provides an extended preparation period.

What Could Happen in 2028?

If the current schedule survives further legal challenges, the proceedings are expected to begin with military panel selection and opening statements.

The trial would then move into evidence presentation and arguments over the government’s case and the defendants’ responses. A sentencing phase would follow if there are convictions.

However, there is an important caveat.

The case has already experienced numerous delays and changes in direction. Previous trial schedules have not resulted in a completed trial. As a result, the June 2028 date should be viewed as the current schedule rather than a guarantee that a verdict will be reached by that time.

Further appeals or major pretrial rulings could potentially affect the timetable.

A Historic Case Still Facing Major Hurdles

The latest scheduling order is an important development, but it does not end the legal uncertainty surrounding the Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial.

The prosecution now has a target date more than two years away. Defense lawyers have additional time to challenge evidence and prepare their cases. The judge has also acknowledged that significant pretrial work remains.

For the families of the September 11 victims, the case has been a decades-long wait for accountability.

For the U.S. justice system, it represents an extraordinary test of the military commission process and its ability to handle allegations involving terrorism, classified information, coercive interrogation and the death penalty.

And for the broader history of the post-9/11 era, the case remains closely connected to some of the most controversial decisions made by the United States in the years following the attacks.

The June 5, 2028, trial date therefore marks more than another entry on a court calendar.

It is the latest attempt to bring a case that began after the September 11 attacks into an actual trial nearly three decades later.