Finally.
Just short of 25 years after the fact, a trial has been scheduled for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, an alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terror attack on the United State, which is being recognized on its 25th anniversary in just days.
A military judge has ruled that Mohammed and three others will stand trial in 2028.
The ruling is from Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, just before the anniversary of the terror attack that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The four have been held at a Cuba military base since 2006 in the case.
Citing a long list of pre-trial decisions that will need to be made, the judge denied the government’s request for a January 2027 trial and picked June 5, 2028.
Reports said the case of Mohammed, believed about 61 years old, and his alleged accomplices, Walid bin Attash, Mustafa al-Hawsawi and Ammar al-Baluchi — has included fights over plea bargain efforts and the men’s “confessions.”
Those have been ruled inadmissible at the trial.
Judge axes Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s confession in long-delayed 9/11 terror case – in major blow to feds https://t.co/bX2zT3bpS5 pic.twitter.com/UVPm2Omwfn
— New York Post (@nypost) August 28, 2026
“We have been asking for a trial date for 20 years. Hopefully, this time it is for real,” said retired NYPD officer Jim Smith, who lost his wife, Moira, in the terrorism.
“It’s all going to depend on the judge. We’ve been through so many, some good, but mostly officers who wanted nothing to do with this case,” Smith said.
2,977 murdered. 25 years later. Trial still isn’t even scheduled until 2028.
The worst terrorist attack on American soil and the masterminds still haven’t faced a jury.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other 9/11 plotters have been sitting at Guantanamo since 2003. They admitted… https://t.co/qX3Z9D867x
— Brigitte Gabriel (@ACTBrigitte) August 26, 2026
The case nearly was closed in 2024 when some defendants agreed to a plea deal offered by Joe Biden’s administration that would have them admit their roles and be spared the death penalty.
However, Biden administration officials suddenly reversed themselves and ordered the plea deal canceled.
BREAKING: Military judge sets a June 2028 trial date for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. pic.twitter.com/mkeuWDIfnv
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) August 27, 2026
Mohammad’s lawyers of late have asked the Supreme Court to restore that deal.
And the DOJ urged the justices to reject that move.
Breaking: Judge rules alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed’s confession inadmissible in trial https://t.co/qZ1B5NxmJ4
— Just the News (@JustTheNews) August 28, 2026
Now, a report from the Washington Examiner explains that U.S. Solicitor General D. John Sauer has asked the justices to leave in place a federal appeals court decision that let the Pentagon withdraw from the agreements.
The “agreements” provided that the two would plead guilty to all charges and given details about their roles, in exchange for a withdrawal of the death penalty option.
The deals were approved by the Joe Biden administration, but then-Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin canceled them, claiming the authority to make such decisions.
Then came the judge claimed that Austin waited to long because the defendants already has started delivering their obligations.
Ultimately an appeals court reversed that, blocked the military judge from accepting the guilty pleas and allowing the Pentagon’s decision to stand, the report said.
The defendants now want the Supreme Court to intervene and provide them protection.
Denying the petition would leave the D.C. Circuit’s ruling in place and permit the government to continue pursuing capital prosecutions against the alleged perpetrators of one of the most heinous foreign attacks ever committed on U.S. soil, the report explained.
