According to reports, the self proclaimed mastermind of 9/11 Khalid Shaikh Mohammed will likely be held in military prison indefinitely without a trial. The Washington Post reported that it is highly unlikely that a trial – either civilian or military – would be held before the next presidential election as the Obama administration is wary of the backlash that will come from either decision. Earlier this week, Attorney General Eric Holder said that his team is close to making a decision on the trial.Earlier this year, Holder announced that Mohammed would be tried in civilian court in New York City. The idea did not go down well with many New York politicians who slammed it citing security risks and the trial’s cost. It is estimated that the cost of holding a trial in Manhattan would be around $250 million, which would not do any good to the city.
“To do so would involve 2,000 security checkpoints at a cost of over $200 million a year,” said Julie Menin, head of Community Board One. “I urge the Administration to use the idea I championed of having a federal court judge preside over a federal, civilian trial at a military installation or other location that would have lower security costs and minimal impact to the surrounding neighborhood.”
Opponents suggested that the government could hold the trial outside the city in places like the Governors Island, Stewart Air National Guard Base in Newburgh, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the Bureau of Prisons jail complex at FCI Otisville.
{USA News Week/Matzav.com}
