Editorial
EDITORIAL: 9/11 trial in New York is the American way
Five men accused of plotting the terrorist attacks of 9/11 and detained at Guantánamo Bay will finally be brought to justice. Attorney General Eric Holder announced Friday that the men - including self-described mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed - will be transported to New York City for trial in a federal court. That is an important affirmation, for all the world to see, of this nation's profound commitment to the fair and evenhanded pursuit of justice.
Bringing these accused terrorists to New York is risky politically and could once again make the city a terrorist target. But this is the scene of the crime, and New Yorkers have repeatedly shown impressive fortitude through devastating attacks and volatile prosecutions. The federal courts are clearly up to the security and legal challenges of terrorist trials. More than 100 terrorists, such as the "blind sheik" Omar Abdel Rahman and the "shoe bomber" Richard Reid, have been convicted in federal courts and are behind bars.
Five other detainees, including Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who's accused of planning the bombing of the USS Cole, will be tried by military commissions. That's appropriate, since the destroyer was a military target hit outside the United States.
The decision to put these 10 men on trial signals the important recognition that imprisoning them indefinitely, without that due process, is just not the American way.hN
