'Open sore': Families face agonizing wait as 9/11 mastermind's trial pushed nearly 27 years after attacks
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's 9/11 trial is set for 2028, but a ruling barring key FBI statements raises doubts families will ever see a verdict.
TL;DR
- The trial for alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and three co-defendants is tentatively scheduled for June 5, 2028, almost 27 years after the attacks.
- A recent ruling by a military judge barred prosecutors from using statements Mohammed made to FBI agents in 2007, citing coercive treatment in U.S. custody.
- The case has faced numerous delays due to litigation over evidence obtained after torture, a collapsed plea agreement, changes in military judges, and unresolved pretrial motions.
- Victims' families describe the prolonged wait for justice as an 'open sore' and a source of continued trauma.
- Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other defendants have been held for years without trial, with one defendant, Ramzi bin al-Shibh, found mentally incompetent.
- Past attempts to prosecute defendants in federal court were abandoned due to security and logistical concerns.
- The prolonged legal process has cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars without a verdict.