Khalid Sheikh Mohammed trial set for June 2028 at Guantanamo

August 31, 2026 at 09:05 PM2 min

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A U.S. Air Force judge ordered Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants to stand trial before a military tribunal starting June 5, 2028. The order by Lt. Col. Michael Schrama sets jury selection for that date, with opening statements to follow 30 days later. The trial comes after a U.S. appeals court last year blocked plea agreements that would have spared the defendants the death penalty.

Key Facts

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama ordered the trial to begin June 5, 2028, with jury selection.
The three co-defendants are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali.
Opening statements will commence 30 calendar days after the panel is seated.
The defense presents its principal evidence starting 60 calendar days after the prosecution concludes its case.
Schrama rejected the prosecutors' proposal to open the trial in January 2027, citing insufficient time for pretrial motions.

Trial Scheduling Order

Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama issued an 11-page order setting the trial for June 5, 2028. The proceedings open with the selection of a panel consisting entirely of service members who will act as the jury. Opening statements will commence 30 calendar days after the panel is seated, followed by presentation of the prosecution's evidence. The defense presents its principal evidence starting 60 calendar days after the prosecution concludes its case. Schrama rejected the prosecutors' proposal to open the trial in January 2027, saying that would leave too little time for the resolution of pretrial evidentiary and compliance motions.

Defendants and Charges

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is accused of orchestrating the plot to fly hijacked passenger jetliners into the World Trade Center in New York City and into the Pentagon. The three co-defendants are Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin 'Atash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali. The 9/11 attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. Mohammed remains the most well-known inmate at the Guantanamo detention facility, which was set up in 2002 by then-U.S. President George W. Bush.

Plea Deal Reversal

Last year, a U.S. appeals court refused to allow Mohammed and two of his co-defendants to plead guilty under agreements that would have spared them the death penalty. The appellate decision reversed decisions of a military judge and the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review in support of the plea deal. The agreement had been offered in 2024 and accepted by the official who oversees the Pentagon's Guantanamo war court, only to be revoked in August of that year by then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin amid criticism from Republican lawmakers.