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The White House on Friday ruled out the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in a military court as demanded by several US lawmakers, even as it described him as a murderous thug.
"Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is a murderous thug who has admitted to some of the most heinous crimes ever committed against our country. And the (US) President is committed to seeing that he's brought to justice," said the White House Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton. US President Barack Obama, agrees with the attorney general's opinion that Khalid Sheikh Mohammad and others can be litigated successfully and securely in the US, just like others have, like Richard Reid.
"Currently our federal jails hold hundreds of convicted terrorists, and the President's opinion has not changed on that," Burton said. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is currently being tried in a New York court, which is being opposed by several US lawmakers and the New York Mayor, Mike Bloomberg. "Well, the concern is that if you do have the terror trials in New York City, it will be an overwhelmingly -- financial burden to the city. So one of the things I've been advocating for is that if they are located in New York City, we have to be re-compensated," said Senator Kirsten Gillbrand.
"We need to make sure that the cost for the massive security operation that will be required will be paid for by the federal government," Gillbrand added. "I'm also worried about the communities and the small businesses that will be affected in that area because when you have a security lockdown, it's going to be very difficult for business people to be able to keep their businesses open and families to get to where they need," the senator said.
So that's the biggest concern: that if it is going to be in New York, it needs to be compensated. But, you know, I'm open for the trial to be moved to another appropriate place," she said. Senator Lindsey Graham demanded that the 9/11 conspirators should be tried by military commission, not by civilian court.
"I will do everything in my power to oppose this Administration's decision to give terror suspects like Khalid Sheikh Mohammad the same rights in court as American citizens. The decision to prosecute enemy combatants captured on foreign battlefields in civilian court is without precedent in our nation's history," he said. "I remain concerned that by bringing Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists responsible for 9/11 to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan -- only blocks away from where the Twin Towers once stood -- we will be providing them one of the most visible platforms in the world to exalt their past acts and to rally others in support of further terrorism. Such a trial would almost certainly become a
recruitment and radicalisation tool for those who wish us harm," he said.
Earlier this week, a bipartisan group of six Senators -- Joe Lieberman, Lindsey Graham, Blanche Lincoln, Susan Collins, Jim Webb, and John McCain had made a demand in this regard with the US Attorney General Eric Holder and urged him to reverse his decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other alleged conspirators in the September 11, 2001 attacks in civilian court rather than military commissions.