The United States Military Commission Judge ruled on Wednesday (26th) that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 4 others accused of masterminding the “9/11” terrorist attacks will stand trial on June 5, 2028.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. The hijackers then crashed commercial planes into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City and the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. The fourth hijacked plane crashed in Pennsylvania. This terrorist attack tragically claimed the lives of nearly 3000 people.
According to reports from NBC and Fox News, the three co-conspirators charged in the “9/11” attacks – Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed al-Hawsawi – will stand trial alongside Mohammed.
On August 26, Military Commission Judge, Air Force Colonel Michael Schrama, postponed the trial date requested by the prosecution by 18 months. He stated that the proposed trial date (January 11, 2027) did not provide enough time to resolve outstanding pretrial matters.
This scheduling sets a series of deadlines and key points leading up to the trial date of June 2028 for the 9/11 terror attack case while maintaining the ongoing pretrial litigation schedule.
According to the court order, the jury selection process, which will be conducted by military commission members, including the convening of the jury, challenges for cause, and final selection, will commence on June 5, 2028.
The opening statements will begin 30 days after the jury selection. Following the conclusion of opening statements, the prosecution will immediately start presenting evidence. After the conclusion of evidence presentation, the defendants will have 14 days to request a judgment of “not guilty.”
Subsequently, the prosecution will have 14 days to respond to the motion, and the defendants will then have 7 days to present their defense. If the prosecution chooses to reopen to address so-called “evidentiary defects” raised in the motion, it must be completed within 45 days of the initial closing of the evidence.
The defense plans to introduce their evidence 60 days after the prosecution’s primary evidence presentation. The order also outlines procedures for rebuttal evidence, surrebuttal evidence, additional motions for “not guilty,” and closing arguments.
Schrama stated that unless there is a valid reason, the Military Commission will not approve requests for delays or adjournments involving motions for “not guilty” or the submission of rebuttal or surrebuttal evidence.
The trial date comes after years of legal disputes surrounding the indictment of Mohammed and his co-defendants, with attempts to resolve the case through plea agreements. Last summer, a federal appeals court overturned an agreement that would have allowed Mohammed to avoid the death penalty by pleading guilty.
The defense attorneys for the defendants argue that the trial delay is due to the government’s attempt to downplay the torture inflicted by the Central Intelligence Agency on detainees in secret prisons.
Mohammed was indicted and arraigned in 2008 on charges of war crimes and murder related to the “9/11” terrorist attacks. Since 2006, he has been detained at the U.S. military base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.