US Defense Department on Wednesday announced charges against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and four others also involved in the 2001 attacks.

The charges were referred to a military commission in the case of "United States v. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin'Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ali Abdul Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi."

It alleged that the five terrorist suspects are responsible for planning and execution of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, in New York, Washington D.C., and Shanksville, Pennsylvania, resulting in the killing of 2,976 innocent people.

The five suspects are litigated with charges ranging from terrorism, hijacking aircraft, conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians and civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, to destruction of property in violation of the law of war.

The Pentagon has referred all charges to a joint trial.

According to Military Commissions rules and procedures, the chief judge of the Military Commissions Trial Judiciary will assign a military judge to the case, and the five accused will be arraigned at the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, within 30 days of service of the referred charges upon them.

The Pentagon also said it referred the case to a capital military commission, meaning if convicted, the five accused could be sentenced to death. It also said the defendants have been provided counsel with specialized knowledge and experience in death penalty cases in a bid to assist them in their defense.