[Al Arabiya Latest] Accused Sept. 11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried and convicted and is likely to be executed, White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said on Sunday.
| Way to go Gibbsie. The whole point of a trial was to show how fair and open-minded we are. I certainly don't mind putting a needle into KSM, but having you and your boss say that sorta defeats the purpose of the trial. Don't think our enemies won't try to take advantage of that. |
Interviewed on CNN's "State of the Union," show, Gibbs said: "Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is going to meet justice and he's going to meet his maker. He will be brought to justice and he's likely to be executed for the heinous crimes he committed."
" We are talking with the authorities in New York. We understand their logistical concerns. We will work with them and come to a solution that we think will bring about justice "
White House spokesman
Robert Gibbs |
Gibbs did not confirm reports that the Obama administration has begun looking for places other than the heart of New York City to prosecute self-professed mastermind Mohammed and four accused co-conspirators in the face of fierce criticism tied to security and costs.
"We are talking with the authorities in New York. We understand their logistical concerns," Gibbs said. "We will work with them and come to a solution that we think will bring about justice."
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder decided in November the trials would be held in New York City, where the federal courthouse is connected to a fortified detention center with a tunnel.
But U.S. officials said last week Holder has begun considering other venues.
Republican Senate leader Mitch McConnell, also on CNN, said the accused plotters should be tried by a military commission, preferably at the U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. He said Republicans would deny the administration the funding to mount a trial in New York and predicted that many Democrats would join them.
"Interrogate them, detain them and try them in a military commission offshore at Guantanamo," McConnell said.
The decision to reconsider the location came as President Barack Obama faced increased political pressure to refocus his agenda. Obama has been trying to push through a health care reform initiative and reduce the high unemployment rate. |
