9/11 mastermind trial still not started 25 years after attacks

September 11, 2026 at 11:51 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks, has not begun 25 years after the attacks killed nearly 3,000 people. A military court in August 2026 set hearings to start in June 2028, nearly 27 years after the attacks. Mohammed faces charges of murdering 2,796 people, but pretrial proceedings have been stalled by disputes over evidence obtained through torture.

Key Facts

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has been held at Guantanamo Bay for about 20 years without a trial on the merits.
In August 2026, a military judge set the start of hearings for June 2028.
Mohammed is charged with the intentional murder of 2,796 people.
In August 2026, a military judge excluded confessions Mohammed made to the FBI at Guantanamo because they were not voluntary.
In early 2025, Mohammed and two alleged co-conspirators were set to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty, but U.S. authorities cancelled the deal.

Trial Delays

The main obstacle has been the circumstances of the defendants' detention and interrogation. After the attacks, Mohammed spent several years in secret CIA prisons where, according to case materials, harsh interrogation methods were used, including waterboarding and painful stress positions. In August 2026, a military judge excluded confessions Mohammed made to the FBI at Guantanamo, ruling that prior physical and psychological abuse made them involuntary. Experts consider the consequences of torture one of the main reasons the process has remained in pretrial hearings for years. Five military judges have presided over the case during that time.

Plea Deal Dispute

In early 2025, Mohammed and two alleged co-conspirators were to plead guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty. U.S. authorities cancelled the procedure at the last moment, saying the public has a right to an open trial that establishes guilt and the circumstances of the attacks. Relatives of the victims are divided over the deal: some see it as the fastest way to get a verdict after decades of waiting, while others demand a full trial. Tom Resta, whose brother John Resta and pregnant wife Sylvia died on the 92nd floor of the North Tower, supported the agreement. Resta has attended pretrial hearings at Guantanamo several times and fears some relatives will not live to see a trial; his father turns 98 in November 2026.

Victims' Families

Stephan Gerhardt, who lost his younger brother Ralph, traveled to Guantanamo for the sixth time this year. For Gerhardt, the main issue is not punishment itself but the fact of a verdict being reached. "I don't want them to die before a verdict is reached," Gerhardt said.