Trial against the mastermind of 9/11 remains without a date after two decades

Justice on hold: The September 11th case reaches 25 years without a verdict

Two and a half decades after the tragic attacks of September 11, 2001, the judicial process against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, identified as the mastermind behind the attacks, remains stalled in a labyrinth of legal obstacles that casts serious doubts on its resolution. Mohammed, captured in Pakistan in 2003, remains detained at the Guantanamo naval base after having spent years in secret prisons under CIA custody.

A judicial process marked by uncertainty

Although June 5, 2028, has been set as a possible date for the start of the trial against Mohammed and three others involved, legal experts and lawyers linked to the case are skeptical that the process will be completed. The biggest conflict lies in the validity of the evidence, due to the interrogation methods applied to the accused after his capture.

The proceedings have been trapped in endless disputes over their legality and the procedures applied, preventing the case from moving toward a definitive conclusion.

The impact of interrogation methods

A U.S. Senate report revealed that Mohammed was subjected to 183 sessions of “waterboarding” or simulated drowning. This revelation has triggered a legal battle over the admissibility of any confession obtained under those circumstances. In fact, at the end of August, a military judge ruled that the confession provided by the accused to the FBI in 2007 cannot be used in the trial, considering it tainted by prior mistreatment.

• The U.S. government decided not to appeal this decision to avoid further delays.
• In 2009, an attempt was made to move the trial to a civil court in Manhattan, but the proposal was dismissed for security reasons.
• Voices in the legal field maintain that a civil process would have resulted in a firm conviction, unlike the slowness of military commissions.

As the calendar moves toward 2028, the victims’ families, represented by figures such as Terry Strada, maintain their firm demand for justice. For those affected, the 25-year wait reflects a historical debt that, so far, has not found a satisfactory resolution in the courts.