Nov 14, 2009 1:21 pm US/Eastern
9-11 Families Hope For Justice In Mohammad Trial
9-11 Mastermind, 4 Others To Face Trial In NYC
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
AP
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An image of a courtroom drawing by artist Janet Hamlin, reviewed by the U.S. military, shows Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (C) and co-defendant Walid Bin Attash (L) attending a pre-trial session on Dec. 8, 2008, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Janet Hamlin/Getty Images
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In this photo reviewed by US military officials, a detainee whose name, nationality, and facial identification are not permitted, walks within the grounds of the Camp 5 maximum security prison at the Guantanamo Bay US Naval Base in Cuba, 26 June 2006.
Brennan Linsley/AFP/Getty Images
Moving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other 9-11 detainees from Guantanamo Bay to New York City for trial is sparking an emotional debate. Some politicians and relatives of 9-11 victims argue that having the trial here is too risky.
New York City, the scene of the crime, was chosen as the scene of a trial for five men, including Khalid Sheik Mohammad, the admitted mastermind of the 9-11 attacks. Justice is what victims' family members desperately want, like Jim Riches who lost his firefighter son on September 11th.
"Hopefully we'll get it done the right way because it seems like we've wasted eight years now and I hope they do bring these people to justice because we deserve it," said Jim Riches.
Bringing the terror suspects to New York is part of the Obama Administration's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Center in Cuba.
"That is something that typically happens in criminal law. The cases are typically tried in the place that they occurred," Attorney General Eric Holder said.
"They committed the crimes here in New York. I don't care where they do it, but they committed the crimes here. Let's let all of New York see these guys stand up and declare how proud they were that they killed everybody," Riches said.
Jim McCaffrey lost his firefighter brother-in-law and many friends on September 11. He said trying the accused terrorists here is a big mistake. "That guilty position they presented in Guantanamo will go out the window when they are afforded lawyers, afforded US Constitution protection," he said. "We're now on American soil, the potential for negative outcome is incredible."
He also worries about security. "This is on a level, no one's ever seen. Even the New York City Police Department. And I worry that security concerns will be something we've never encountered."
Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said the NYPD can handle it, but Congressman Peter King, the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said he's been fighting the move for months. He said the trial, just blocks from Ground Zero, is just too risky for the city.
"The Risk and threat to New York City is going to be enormous," King said.
Many say the better plan is to stick with Military Tribunals instead. The suspects are to be moved in about 45 days and prosecutors are expected to seek the death penalty.
(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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