More than two decades after nearly 3,000 lives were lost in a single morning, the United States military justice system has set June 5, 2028, as the date it will finally attempt to render a verdict on those accused of conceiving the September 11 attacks. A military judge's ruling pushes the trial back 18 months, citing unresolved disputes over evidence — a reminder that the machinery of accountability moves slowly, and that justice, when the wounds run this deep, is rarely swift. For the families of the dead, and for a nation still shaped by that day, the question is not only whether the trial
9/11 Mastermind Trial Set for Summer 2028 After Plea Deal Collapse
The attacks killed nearly 3,000 people; the trial addresses accountability for one of the deadliest terrorist attacks on the United States.
More than two decades to bring one man to trial
Mark
Why did the judge push the trial back so far? Eighteen months seems like a long time.
Mimi
The disputes over evidence are real and complex. They have to decide what can actually be presented in court, and that takes time when you're dealing with classified material, interrogation records, and questions about how evidence was obtained.
Mark
So this isn't just bureaucratic delay—there are actual legal obstacles.
Mimi
Exactly. And there's the history too. A plea deal fell apart. The Biden administration rejected it even though it had been negotiated for two years. That kind of reversal creates legal uncertainty.
Mark
Why did they reject the deal?
Mimi
The administration didn't publicly explain in detail, but the deal would have spared Mohammed from execution. That was controversial. Some people wanted him to face capital charges.
Mark
And now he will?
Mimi
If the trial happens, yes. He faces execution charges. But we've seen this before—a trial was scheduled for 2021 and never happened. There's no guarantee 2028 will be different.
Mark
What do the families want?
Mimi
The plea deal included a provision that he would answer their questions about the attacks. That's gone now. So they're back to waiting for a trial that may or may not happen.
The Pulse
- After a canceled 2021 trial and a collapsed plea deal, the case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants has lurched forward again — this time to a June 2028 start date.
- An 18-month delay beyond what prosecutors sought reflects the stubborn complexity of pretrial disputes, particularly over which evidence will be allowed to reach a jury.
- A plea agreement that took two years to negotiate and would have guaranteed life sentences — along with answers for victims' families — was ultimately rejected by the Biden administration, resetting the legal clock.
- The four accused men remain detained at Guantanamo Bay, and the trial's viability depends on a series of deadlines being met in the years ahead — a fragile timeline with a troubled history behind it.
- For the families of nearly 3,000 victims, the 2028 date is both a promise and a question: whether the military justice system can finally deliver what more than twenty years of legal struggle have not.
More than two decades after nearly 3,000 lives were lost in a single morning, the United States military justice system has set June 5, 2028, as the date it will finally attempt to render a verdict on those accused of conceiving the September 11 attacks. A military judge's ruling pushes the trial back 18 months, citing unresolved disputes over evidence — a reminder that the machinery of accountability moves slowly, and that justice, when the wounds run this deep, is rarely swift. For the families of the dead, and for a nation still shaped by that day, the question is not only whether the trial will hold, but whether any verdict can complete what grief and history have left unfinished.
A military judge has scheduled June 5, 2028, as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants accused of planning the September 11 attacks. Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama's ruling pushes proceedings back 18 months from the January 2027 date prosecutors had sought, citing the need to resolve pretrial disputes — primarily over which evidence will be admissible.
Mohammed is accused of conceiving and directing the plot to hijack four commercial airliners, two of which destroyed the World Trade Center towers, one of which struck the Pentagon, and one of which crashed in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He will stand trial alongside Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, all held at Guantanamo Bay.
The road to 2028 has been long and fractured. A trial set for 2021 was canceled before it began. More recently, a plea agreement negotiated over two years would have given Mohammed and two co-defendants life sentences without parole, while requiring them to answer questions from victims' families — but the Biden administration rejected the deal, and a federal appeals court had already invalidated it.
The 2028 date is not assured. The case must meet a series of deadlines, and the history of this prosecution offers little reason for certainty. The four men remain among the last detainees at Guantanamo Bay, and their trial will seek to deliver accountability for attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and permanently altered American foreign policy and national security law. Whether the military justice system can finally reach a verdict — after more than two decades — remains an open question.
A military judge has set June 5, 2028, as the trial date for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three men accused of orchestrating the September 11 attacks. The decision, handed down Wednesday by Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama, pushes the proceedings back 18 months from the January 2027 start that prosecutors had sought. The additional time, according to Schrama's ruling, is necessary to work through pretrial disputes—chiefly disagreements over which evidence will be permitted in court.
Mohammed stands accused of conceiving and directing the plot to hijack commercial airliners and crash them into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. A fourth plane, also hijacked, went down in a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania. He will face trial alongside Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, all held at the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. The case represents the culmination of more than two decades of legal struggle to bring to justice the figure charged with planning one of the deadliest attacks ever carried out on American soil.
The path to this June 2028 date has been anything but straight. A trial was previously scheduled for 2021 but was canceled before it began. More recently, a plea agreement appeared to offer a resolution: Mohammed and two of his co-defendants would have received life sentences without parole, and they would have been obligated to answer remaining questions from families of the victims about the attacks. The deal was negotiated over two years, but the Biden administration ultimately rejected it, effectively nullifying the agreement that a federal appeals court had previously thrown out.
The 2028 trial date is not guaranteed to hold. The schedule depends on the case meeting various deadlines and milestones in the years ahead, and delays remain possible. The history of this prosecution—the canceled 2021 trial, the collapsed plea deal, the shifting administrations and their differing approaches to the case—suggests that further postponements cannot be ruled out.
The four men remain among the last detainees held at Guantanamo Bay. Their trial will address accountability for attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people and reshaped American foreign policy, national security law, and the global war on terror. Whether the military justice system can finally deliver a verdict after more than two decades remains an open question.
Notable Quotes
The additional time is needed to resolve pretrial disputes, including disagreements about what evidence can be presented at trial— Air Force Lt. Col. Michael A. Schrama, military judge
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