OMM Redaksiyası
US Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schram has set the start date for the trial of four men accused of organizing the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Jury selection will begin on June 5, 2028.
The defendants are Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash, Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi and Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali. They are accused of planning, financing and assisting in the execution of attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania that killed nearly 3,000 people.
The judge rejected the prosecution’s request to begin the trial in January 2027. The ruling said that date would not allow enough time to resolve disputes over evidence and other pretrial motions.
Under the court schedule, opening statements will be heard 30 days after the military panel is formed. The prosecution and defense will then present their evidence, followed by the verdict phase.
The latest delay followed a dispute over the cancellation of an agreement under which the defendants would accept life imprisonment instead of facing the death penalty. The agreement, negotiated over two years, provided for life sentences without the possibility of parole.
An official overseeing military commissions at the Pentagon approved the agreement, but former Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sought to revoke it in August last year after sharp criticism from Republican lawmakers. Last month, a US appeals court overturned earlier rulings in favor of the defense, allowing prosecutors to continue pursuing a case in which the death penalty is sought.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured in Pakistan in March 2003 and transferred to Guantanamo Bay in September 2006. US prosecutors accuse him of devising the plan to hijack passenger aircraft and crash them into major American buildings, as well as presenting the idea to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.
On Sept. 11, 2001, two of four hijacked passenger planes crashed into the World Trade Center in New York, while another struck the Pentagon in Virginia. The fourth plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania after passengers attempted to regain control of the aircraft.
Proceedings at Guantanamo have repeatedly been delayed by disputes over jurisdiction, evidence, interrogation methods and the treatment of detainees. Questions concerning evidence obtained through the Central Intelligence Agency’s torture programs remain particularly contentious. About 15 detainees are currently believed to remain at the prison.
