TIMES ONLINE: Five Guantanamo Bay detainees alleged to have masterminded the September 11 attacks are to be taken to the United States to stand trial in a civilian court in New York, an Obama Administration official said today.
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four alleged accomplices will be brought on to US soil for trial as part of President Obama’s pledge to close down the detention centre in Cuba.
The Attorney General Eric Holder is expected to officially announce the decision today.
Mr Obama initially planned to close Guantanamo by January 22 next year but the Administration is no longer expected to meet that deadline.
The high profile trial will be an enormous legal and political test for Mr Obama’s approach to terrorism. If the case suffers legal setbacks the administration will face criticism from those who believe that it should have been held in a military court The case is also likely to force the federal court system to confront a host of controversial legal issues surrounding the President Bush-era counter terrorism programmes that started after the 2001 attacks. >>> Nico Hines | Friday, November 13, 2009
