The alleged 9/11 mastermind will be transferred from Guantanamo to New York for a trial in which the death penalty will be sought, the US has confirmed.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others would be tried at a court near Ground Zero, the US attorney general said.
Five other Guantanamo detainees would face military trials, Eric Holder said.
The move is part of US President Barack Obama's efforts to close Guantanamo, but some relatives of 9/11 victims say they oppose a federal court trial.
"Today I am announcing that the Department of Justice will pursue prosecution in federal court of the five individuals accused of conspiring to commit the 9/11 attacks," Mr Holder told a news conference.
"I fully expect to direct prosecutors to seek the death penalty against each of the alleged 9/11 conspirators."
'Fair and open'
Four men - the two Yemenis, a Saudi and a Pakistani-born Kuwaiti - will face trial alongside Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of helping finance and plan the attacks of 11 September 2001 in which nearly 3,000 people were killed.
Responsibility for the case will go to the Southern District of New York, with proceedings taking place at a court not far from where the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center fell.
No date was given for a trial, but US media reports say Congress needs at least 45 days' notice before the detainees can be transferred to the US.
The five men had until now been facing prosecution at US military commissions in Guantanamo. The government had faced a 16 November deadline to decide how to proceed in their cases.
Mr Holder said he was confident that the defendants would get a fair trial that was "open to the public and open to the world".
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10:41 PM
Moderate Islamist here
