Khalid Sheikh Mohammed

Also written as: KSM · the alleged Sept. 11 mastermind · the alleged 9/11 mastermind

Involved in

• All of KSM’s cousins were known to the CIA to have connections to al‑Qaeda, and Abu Musab and Abu Khalid were also known to the agency for handling logistical and administrative matters for the group.

• After the August report identifying Mukhtar as KSM, the CIA did not connect it with additional intelligence from June 2001 indicating that KSM, operating under that name, was recruiting terrorists to travel to the United States.

• US intelligence knew that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed existed and had terrorist connections, but it reportedly failed to connect the dots.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed provided media facilitation for al-Qaeda and became head of its media committee in late 2000.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was accused by US authorities of masterminding the September 11, 2001 attacks.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed’s cousins, including Ramzi Yousef, Abd al‑Samad, Abd al‑Karim (Abu Musab al‑Baluchi), Abd al‑Mun’im (Abu Khalid al‑Baluchi), Hashim Abd al‑Aziz (Shabir) and Ali Abdul Aziz Ali (Ammar al‑Baluchi), were involved in terrorism and were known to the CIA.

• A photo obtained by the Associated Press shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed shortly after his capture.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was indicted in January 1996 for his role in the 1993 World Trade Center attack, including assisting Ramzi Yousef in planning it.

• An unsuccessful attempt was made to render Khalid Sheikh Mohammed from Qatar in 1996.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured during a raid in Pakistan on March 1, 2003.

• A connection between Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the al‑Ghamdi alias and the nickname “Mukhtar” existed before the September 11, 2001 attacks.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was linked to the nickname “Mukhtar” in a CIA human intelligence report received on August 28.

• There was an existing link between Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the al‑Ghamdi alias.

• Khalid Sheikh Mohammed escaped Qatar after the failed rendition attempt in 1996 and lived in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

• After the September 11 attacks, German intelligence discovered that KSM, identified as Mukhtar, had communicated with a telephone used by Ramzi Bin al‑Shibh.

Statements attributed to it

Nothing in the record is attributed to this entity as a speaker.

Origin: first recognised while reading CIA had multiple clues linking 9/11 mastermind to terror plot before attack but failed to act: Report | World News · 2026-08-31 06:13