The alleged mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, is set to face trial before a US military commission in June 2028.
Multiple US media outlets reported on Wednesday that a judge had set the trial date in the long-running case.
Mohammed was regarded as one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden’s senior lieutenants before he was captured in Pakistan in March 2003.
Following his arrest, he was held in secret CIA detention facilities for three years before being transferred to the US military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in 2006.
Accused Of Planning 9/11 Attacks
US authorities accuse Mohammed of playing a central role in planning the September 11 attacks, in which hijackers took control of four commercial aircraft.
Two planes were flown into the World Trade Center towers in New York, while another struck the Pentagon. A fourth aircraft crashed in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the plane.
Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the attacks, which triggered major changes to US security policy and launched the US-led war on terror.
Case Delayed For Years
The case against Mohammed and his co-defendants has been delayed for years by legal disputes, particularly over their treatment and interrogation while in CIA custody.
The defendants have also been involved in prolonged pre-trial proceedings at Guantanamo Bay, making the case one of the longest-running terrorism prosecutions in US history.
The June 2028 trial date could finally bring the decades-old case before a military court, although further legal challenges could still affect the proceedings.
If the trial goes ahead as scheduled, it will take place nearly 27 years after the September 11 attacks and more than 25 years after Mohammed’s capture
