Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, is scheduled to stand trial in June 2028, following a ruling Wednesday by a military judge at Guantanamo Bay.
Lt. Col. Michael Schrama ordered that proceedings begin on June 5, 2028, nearly 25 years after Mohammed was captured. He has been held at Guantanamo since 2006.
"Trial on the merits shall begin on Monday, 5 June 2028," Schrama decided.
Military prosecutors had pushed for a trial to begin in 2027, but Schrama determined that the proposed timetable was too early.
The case has been delayed for years, including by a controversial plea agreement reached in 2024. Mohammed and two alleged accomplices, Walid Bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawasawi, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy charges in return for life sentences.
Then-US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin intervened to revoke those agreements, arguing that the families of the victims and the American public deserved to see the defendants face trial.
A US appeals court later overturned the plea agreement in July of last year, restoring the possibility of the death penalty and paving the way for a full trial in the long-running case.
In their ruling, Judges Patricia Millett and Neomi Rao upheld Austin's authority, stating, "Austin 'acted within the bounds of his legal authority, and we decline to second-guess his judgment.'"