Prosecutors lost access to confessions a military judge found involuntary, a ruling that undercuts evidence in the case against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and deepens relatives' fear that they may never see convictions. The judge said Mohammed's treatment by the CIA amounted to "extraordinary physical and mental abuse," and ruled those statements could not be used at trial.
The decision landed days after a trial date was set for June 2028, but it has not ended the legal fight. Mohammed, who has been held at Guantanamo Bay for 20 years, faces charges including conspiracy and murder listing 2,976 victims. He is accused of conceiving the plan to train pilots to fly commercial planes into buildings and taking the idea to Osama bin Laden; he has previously said he planned the "9/11 operation from A to Z." Experts say the long-running dispute over torture evidence has been the main driver of delays.
Relatives of those killed on 11 September 2001 described years of waiting and frustration. Tom Resta recounted losing his brother John and his pregnant wife Sylvia, who were working on the 92nd floor of the World Trade Center. "After all this time, it still chokes me up," he said, adding that the attacks are "almost constantly" on his mind. Resta has travelled to Guantanamo four times to follow the pre-trial proceedings, which he called "laborious and tedious."
Other family members voiced the same urgency. Stephan Gerhardt, who has made six trips to see the hearings, said he wanted convictions for the death of his younger brother but wished the legal process were behind him so he could focus on memories. "They're getting elderly," he said of the defendants, adding that he did not want them to die without being convicted.
Legal experts note the ruling removes what prosecutors described as their best evidence, though commentators disagree on how much it will affect the government's overall case. The pre-trial process has been overseen by five different military judges, and relatives gain access to hearings through a lottery for a high-security courtroom separated from defendants by thick glass. For now, families face a narrow window to see a trial to verdict, and the exclusion of key statements ensures the path to a final resolution remains uncertain.
