A U.S. military court judge announced on June 26 that the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 2001 “9/11” terrorist attacks, and three accomplices will begin on June 5, 2028.
This date is nearly a year and a half later than the January 2027 trial time requested by the U.S. prosecution. The military judge, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schlama, said this was because additional time was needed to resolve some disagreements before the trial, such as disagreements about what evidence could be submitted to the court.
Whether this case can be tried on schedule depends on whether the tasks and stage goals of each node can be completed on time, so this date may still be postponed again.
On the night of September 11, 2024, the pillars of light symbolizing the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York lit up near the ruins of the World Trade Center in the United States to mark the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Xinhua News Agency Reporter Li Ruize
On September 11, 2001, al-Qaeda launched a terrorist attack on the United States. Terrorists hijacked four airliners, two of which crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, one crashed into a corner of the Washington Pentagon, and another crashed in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. This attack killed about 3,000 people.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was accused of being the mastermind of the above attacks, responsible for coordinating work related to communications and raising funds. He was arrested in Pakistan in 2003 and interrogated by the Central Intelligence Agency. In 2006 he was transferred to the Guantánamo prison located in Cuba, and his case was also handed over to the U.S. Courts-martial in the United States.
According to the New York Times, the case was dragged on for years without closure, partly because Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his accomplices had been mistreated by the CIA before being thrown into Guantánamo prison, and had been cut off from contact with the outside world for a period. The U.S. speed trial legal system set up at the Guantánamo military base was also criticized for the slowness and confusion of the case processing.