Debate Continues to Rage Over Where to Hold 9/11 “Terror Trials”
President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder’s plans to hold the trials of September 11th plotter Kalid Sheik Mohammed at a Federal Courthouse in New York City continues to gain attention, and is drawing increasing criticism from numerous groups.
This week New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has thrown his weight against having the trials in New York City, stating that the trials are “going to cost an awful lot of money and disturb an awful lot of people,” and has suggested using alternate sites for the upcoming trials.
Debate has raged since the announcement of the decision to try these individuals in open, Federal Court instead of a military tribunal, and has drawn many local New York residents into the debate over whether they would like both the attention, and potential security threats that would come with the trials.
On one hand, the trial would showcase the open trials that are the cornerstone of the American justice system, but would also pose a relative threat to those involved with providing the security, given the high profile nature of both the defendants, and the trial itself.
What do you feel about the upcoming trials? Will this be an opportunity for the American justice system to be an example to the world? Or is this an unnecessary risk of the people of New York?