Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of masterminding the 9/11 attacks, has spent two decades at Guantanamo Bay without facing trial despite a June 2028 trial date set by a judge. He was held in secret prisons and subjected to 183 instances of waterboarding after his 2003 capture, rendering any alleged confession tainted by torture. A military judge ruled that prosecutors cannot use Mohammed's 2007 confession, prompting some lawyers to believe the case may never reach a verdict. Families of the nearly 3,000 victims are still seeking justice 25 years after the attacks.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-11,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On October 8, 2024, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk was killed, an event that has become a significant marker for young conservatives in America, akin to September 11, 2001 and the Hamas attack on Israel in October 2023. The day of his death is now referred to by some as 9/10, symbolizing its impact on political activism among students. Meanwhile, the small Canadian town of Gander played a pivotal role during the September 11 attacks when U.S. airspace was closed, leading to 38 international flights landing there, doubling the population overnight and necessitating an impromptu humanitarian effort by locals to aid around 7,000 stranded passengers and crew members for several days. This act of kindness inspired the Broadway musical "Come From Away," which highlights Gander's generosity and humanity in times of crisis.
Written for “9/11 Anniversary Reflections” on 2026-09-12,
grounded in this article and the 167 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The model judged this article politically coded and scored it -0.35, but all 1 of its quote(s) are attributed speech - words the article quotes from someone, not the article's own narration, so the score is not published.
Written under an earlier scoring contract, which gave a paragraph
rather than checkable quotes. Re-analysing this article replaces it.
Leaning score withheld for article 7935: attributed speech only · logged 2026-09-11
As America marks the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, the man accused of masterminding the plot remains behind bars at Guantanamo Bay — without ever having faced trial.
asserted
man → mark → trial
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has spent two decades at the U.S. military detention center in Cuba, and despite a judge recently setting a June 5, 2028 trial date, some lawyers believe the case may never reach a verdict.
uncertain
case → spend → verdict
He was held for more than three years in secret prisons and subjected to torture in CIA custody, including 183 instances of waterboarding, according to a U.S. Senate report.
uncertain
He → hold → report
The consequences continue to complicate the government's case.
asserted
consequences → continue → case
In August, a military judge ruled that prosecutors could not use an alleged confession Mohammed made to the FBI in 2007, finding the statements were tainted by the "enhanced interrogation techniques" used against him.
uncertain
statements → rule → him
The government declined to appeal, in part because doing so risked delaying the case even further.
asserted
doing → decline → case
"It's all contaminated by politics and the lack of accountability on torture," said Joshua Dratel, an attorney who helped ensure Mohammed received legal representation.
asserted
Mohammed → contaminate → representation
Mohammed, accused of developing and directing the 9/11 plot as an al-Qaida leader, was transferred to Guantanamo Bay on Sept. 5, 2006.
asserted
Mohammed → accuse → Sept.
For families of the nearly 3,000 people killed on Sept. 11, 2001, the wait for a resolution has now lasted a quarter-century.
asserted
wait → kill → century
Terry Strada, whose husband, Tom, was killed at the World Trade Center, said families still want to see Mohammed brought to justice.
"We very much want to see this come to an end at some point.
asserted
this → kill → point
We do want to see justice served.
asserted
justice → want → ?
It's just as important as 25 years ago," said Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United.
asserted
Strada → say → United
Strada said she would rather see Mohammed remain imprisoned indefinitely at Guantanamo than support an agreement that removed the possibility of the death penalty.
asserted
that → say → penalty
A plea deal that would have spared Mohammed a possible execution in exchange for life imprisonment began unraveling shortly after it was announced in 2024 and collapsed for good last year.
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it → spar → 2024
Strada said she fears that without a death sentence, a future administration could potentially seek to exchange Mohammed for Americans imprisoned overseas.
uncertain
administration → say → Americans
The death penalty "fits the crime and it would prevent that from ever happening," she said.
asserted
she → fit → that
There was once a plan to put Mohammed on trial just blocks from where the World Trade Center stood.
asserted
Center → be → trial
In 2009, then-Attorney General Eric Holder announced that Mohammed and four other men charged over the attacks would face a civilian trial in Manhattan.
asserted
Mohammed → announce → Manhattan
Then-President Barack Obama, who had pledged to close Guantanamo, said Mohammed would face "the most exacting demands of justice."
asserted
Mohammed → pledge → justice
But the proposal quickly encountered fierce opposition.
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proposal → encounter → opposition
Critics raised security concerns and warned that Mohammed could use proceedings as a platform for extremist views.
uncertain
Mohammed → raise → views
Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani called the plan unwise and accused the administration of showing "a lack of concern for the rights of the public."
The civilian trial was ultimately abandoned, leaving the case to the military commission system.
asserted
trial → call → system
Dratel described the abandoned effort as "a charade in many respects" but said the military tribunal system had proved even less effective.
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system → describe → respects
"Each time you reach an impasse, no one knows what to do," he said.
asserted
he → reach → what
David Raskin, the former federal prosecutor who would have led the government's New York case, argued this week that a civilian prosecution likely would have secured a conviction.
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prosecution → lead → conviction
Instead, he wrote in The Washington Post, the military commission became "a defense lawyer's dream," plagued by years of litigation over its legality and procedures.
asserted
commission → write → legality
Twenty-five years after the attacks and more than two decades after Mohammed's capture, Raskin believes the wait may never end.
uncertain
wait → believe → capture
"I predict there will never be a completed military commission trial for Mohammed and the other Sept. 11 defendants," he said.
asserted
he → predict → Mohammed
