9/11 Mastermind to be tried in New York
Posted by
Randy
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November 13, 2009
The Administration announced today that several Guantanamo Bay detainees, including self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, will be prosecuted just blocks away from Ground Zero in NYC before a civilian federal court. The decision was made despite the fact that these terrorists were already being tried by military commissions that are specifically designed to prosecute terrorist acts.
There is a serious issue at stake here and that is the value we place on the security of our nation in the near and far term. The Administration’s decision on how we handle the detainees will set precedence for our nation – in the rights that we will afford terrorists in the future and in the security of our nation for future generations. Even the ‘low-risk’ detainees held at the Guantanamo Bay detention center have the potential for further violence, as we saw in 2008 when an ex-Guantanamo detainee killed and wounded many in a suicide bombing attack.
Simply put, bringing detainees to the United States is a risk we should not take. These terrorists are not common criminals. To treat them as such is not only irresponsible on the Administration’s part, but it creates additional national security risks that we could otherwise avoid.
Earlier this year, I introduced legislation to prohibit the transfer of Guantanamo detainees to Virginia. Also, I visited Guantanamo Bay just a few months ago – you can read my thoughts about that trip here.
What do you think? Should Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other Guantanamo detainees be tried in civilian court within the United States?
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