A US military court is scheduled to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the 11 September 2001 attacks, in June 2028, according to US media reports citing a military judge's order.
Mohammed, once regarded as one of Al Qaeda's most senior figures, was captured in Pakistan in March 2003.
He was transferred to the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in September 2006 and remains in custody nearly 20 years later. Before arriving at Guantanamo, he was held in secret CIA detention facilities in Poland, where he was repeatedly interrogated and subjected to what critics and human rights groups have described as torture.
Plea deal overturned
In July 2025, a US appeals court overturned a plea agreement under which Mohammed and two co-defendants would have pleaded guilty in exchange for avoiding the death penalty.
The ruling reopened the path toward a full trial.
Key legal questions remain
The June 2028 trial date may still be postponed because several major procedural issues remain unresolved.
Among the most significant questions is what evidence will be admissible during the proceedings, particularly given the circumstances under which some information was obtained during CIA interrogations.
Guantanamo remains open
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, located on a US naval base in Cuba, was established after the 2001 attacks under former President George W. Bush.
At its peak, it held around 800 terrorism suspects.
Human rights organisations have long called for its closure, describing the facility as a legal "black hole" under international law.
Despite those calls, the prison remains operational, although only a small number of detainees are still being held there.
