Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the September 11 attacks, is set to stand trial in June 2028, more than 25 years after the attacks that killed around 3,000 people.
A US military judge has ruled that Mohammed and three co-accused will go on trial on 5th June 2028, deciding that an earlier 2027 date requested by prosecutors would not allow enough time to prepare.
Mohammed has been held at Guantanamo Bay since 2006 after being captured in Pakistan in March 2003. He has previously claimed that he planned the 9/11 operation “from A-to-Z”.
He is accused of developing the plan to train pilots to hijack commercial aircraft and fly them into buildings before taking the proposal to Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden.
Mohammed will stand trial alongside alleged accomplices Walid bin Attash, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The proceedings have faced years of delays and legal disputes, including over the evidence that will be allowed at trial.
Mohammed had previously reached a plea agreement that would have seen him admit guilt in exchange for avoiding a death-penalty trial and instead receiving life imprisonment without parole.
However, that agreement was later thrown out by a federal appeals court, clearing the way for the case to proceed towards trial.
The September 11 attacks saw hijacked planes flown into New York’s World Trade Center and the Pentagon, while another crashed in Pennsylvania. Around 3,000 people were killed.
The trial is now scheduled to begin almost 27 years after the attacks took place.
