{"id":2651257,"date":"2026-08-28T15:24:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-28T19:24:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-alleged-9-11-mastermind-confession-was-involuntary\/"},"modified":"2026-08-28T16:05:41","modified_gmt":"2026-08-28T20:05:41","slug":"judge-rules-alleged-9-11-mastermind-confession-was-involuntary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-rules-alleged-9-11-mastermind-confession-was-involuntary\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge rules alleged 9\/11 mastermind confession was involuntary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-rules-alleged-9-11-mastermind-confession-was-involuntary%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2651257&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/voir-dire-begins-in-case-of-architects-of-9-11\/\" title=\"Voir dire begins in ... of architects of 9\/11\">military judge<\/a> ruled that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s 2007 confession to FBI agents was involuntary, leading to its exclusion as evidence in his long-delayed 9\/11 trial. The judge cited psychological coercion and failure by FBI agents to inform Mohammed of his rights. This <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-pence-drops-out-of-2024-presidential-race\/\" title=\"Mike Pence withdraws from 2024 presidential race.\">decision significantly impacts<\/a> the prosecution&#8217;s case, which now faces hurdles in presenting evidence. Mohammed,detained as 2003 and subjected to harsh interrogation tactics,including waterboarding,argues that his treatment compromised the voluntariness of his statements. The trial has been postponed multiple times, with the next scheduled to begin in June 2028. The prosecution is considering whether to appeal the ruling. Defense attorneys contend that CIA torture tainted Mohammed\u2019s confessions. Other defendants\u2019 confessions have yet to be similarly challenged. A plea deal that could have avoided the death penalty was rejected, and the case continues toward trial amid ongoing disputes over evidence and interrogation methods.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A military judge on Friday ruled that alleged <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/9-11\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"957\">9\/11 <\/a>mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s 2007 confession to<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fbi\/\"> FBI agents <\/a>was involuntary, excluding the statements from evidence in the long-delayed prosecution stemming from the 2001 <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/terrorism\/\">terrorist attacks<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Air Force Lt. Col. Michael Schrama, the judge overseeing the military commission at <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/guantanamo-bay\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"213\">Guantanamo Bay<\/a>, also ruled that statements Mohammed made during subsequent FBI interrogations in 2007 were inadmissible.<\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4704370\/judge-rules-khalid-sheikh-mohammed-confession-involuntary\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge rules Khalid Sheikh Mohammed confession was involuntary and excludes it from 9\/11 case<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4704040\/doj-report-biden-era-fbi-defended-staff-after-catholic-memo\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Biden-era FBI took \u2018minimal corrective action\u2019 and defended staff after targeting Catholics<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4703800\/judge-again-blocks-trump-executive-order-mail-voting\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Judge again blocks Trump executive order limiting mail voting<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe prosecution has failed to prove by a preponderance of the evidence that Mr. Mohammad\u2019s statements to the F.B.I. were voluntarily given,\u201d Schrama wrote in the conclusion of his 45-page ruling, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\">according<\/a> to the <em>New York Times<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Schrama cited several factors in determining that the confession was not voluntary, including what he described as an \u201cunbroken continuation of the CIA\u2019s psychological conditioning and severe coercion\u201d when Mohammed was questioned by FBI agents at Guantanamo Bay.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The judge also found that FBI agents intentionally failed to explicitly tell Mohammed that he had a right to remain silent, consult an attorney, and understand that anything he told them could be used against him at trial.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The ruling strikes out a significant piece of evidence for prosecutors as the case moves toward trial. Earlier this week, Schrama set June 5, 2028, as the start date for Mohammed\u2019s trial, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\">rejecting a prosecution request<\/a> for a January 2027 trial date and pushing the proceedings into the following summer.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Chief prosecutor Rear Adm. Aaron C. Rugh said prosecutors would review the ruling before deciding whether to appeal.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe prosecution will review the ruling and will make a decision on whether to appeal in the near future,\u201d Rugh said. Schrama gave prosecutors five days to decide, with the option to request an additional five days.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mohammed was arrested in 2003 and has spent decades in U.S. custody, including years at CIA \u201cblack sites\u201d before being transferred to Guantanamo Bay in 2006.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His defense attorneys have argued that years of torture, isolation, and solitary confinement by the CIA conditioned Mohammed to tell investigators what they wanted to hear. Mohammed was not permitted to consult an attorney until long after he had confessed and been charged.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A 2014 Senate report on the CIA\u2019s detention and interrogation program found that Mohammed was subjected to waterboarding more than 100 times.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Defense lawyers have argued that the CIA\u2019s treatment of Mohammed undermined the voluntariness of his later statements to the FBI, even though those interrogations took place after he was transferred to Guantanamo Bay.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The prosecution has not yet received similar rulings on the confessions of two other defendants in the Sept. 11 case, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al Hawsawi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" style=\"text-transform:uppercase\"><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4702230\/trial-set-9-11-mastermind-khalid-sheikh-mohammed\/\">Military judge sets trial for alleged 9\/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mohammed and the other defendants have been awaiting trial for years, with proceedings repeatedly delayed by disputes over evidence, the treatment of detainees in CIA custody, and the admissibility of statements obtained during interrogations.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A proposed plea agreement that would have spared Mohammed the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea was ultimately rejected, leaving the case headed toward trial.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge rules Khalid Sheikh Mohammed\u2019s confession was involuntary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4195,"featured_media":2651258,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/644264cbb4c01b07f1c864dc3b4cd060-e1787941127494.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[56199,27021,33740,4901,33118],"class_list":["post-2651257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-9-11-2","tag-confession","tag-court-ruling","tag-justice","tag-legal-proceedings"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/644264cbb4c01b07f1c864dc3b4cd060-e1787941127494.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4195"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2651257"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2651271,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2651257\/revisions\/2651271"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2651258"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2651257"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2651257"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2651257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}