A U.S. Air Force judge orders Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, widely accused as the 9/11 “mastermind,” and three co-defendants to go on trial before a military tribunal in June 2028. The scheduled start date is June 5, 2028, with proceedings run under U.S. military-justice rules and ending with a sentencing phase.

The scheduling order, issued by Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Michael Schrama, follows years of legal delays tied to the detainees’ cases in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Multiple outlets describe the prosecution as having faced long-standing deadlock over pretrial issues and plea negotiations. In particular, sources note that a plea deal intended to avoid a death-penalty trial was initially accepted but was later revoked by the U.S. Department of Defense amid political criticism, after which a federal appeals court ultimately reversed decisions that had supported the plea.

Outlets also provide background on Mohammed’s alleged role as a senior al-Qaeda figure and the context for holding detainees at Guantánamo, which was created after the Sept. 11 attacks. Some reports focus on the legal timeline and court rulings, while others emphasize who Mohammed is and what he is accused of. NBC News, for example, centers on his biography and history, alongside the broader prosecution timeline.