U.S. judge throws out confessions of alleged 9/11 mastermind, says report
A U.S. military judge has ruled that confessions made by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to FBI agents are inadmissible in his upcoming 9/11 trial. The judge cited psychological coercion and a failure to inform the defendant of his rights as the primary reasons for the ruling.
Why it matters
The ruling highlights ongoing legal challenges regarding the admissibility of evidence obtained through coercive interrogation techniques in high-profile terrorism cases.
A U.S. military judge ruled on Friday (August 28, 2026) that confessions made by alleged 9/11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to FBI agents are inadmissible and cannot be used against him at trial, The New York Times reported.
The ruling comes just before the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.
This week, the trial date for Mohammed and three others accused plotters was set for June 5, 2028 at the U.S. naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Mohammed, also known as "KSM," was considered one of Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden's top lieutenants before he was captured in March 2003 in Pakistan.
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