Nov 21, 2009 3:22 pm US/Eastern
Germany To Send Trial Observer To NY
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
-
-
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed
AP
-
-
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
-
-
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
Poll
Should alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected terrorists be tried in New York City?
You need the latest Flash player to view our Poll.
Click here to download.
Click here to
bypass this detection if you already
have the latest Flash Player.
A German government official said the nation will send an observer to the upcoming trial in New York of the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks and four accused henchmen.
Justice Ministry spokeswoman Katharina Jahntz on Saturday confirmed a report in Der Spiegel that a German observer would attend the trial to ensure that no evidence provided by Germany would be used to apply the death penalty.
U.S. authorities announced last week that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed would be tried by a New York court. No date has been set.
Three of the four suicide pilots who carried out the attacks had lived and studied in the northern German city of Hamburg.
Germany, like the rest of Europe, except for Belarus, does not execute criminals.
New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly has voiced concern about manpower cuts affecting security decisions during the trial. "We obviously have to think about it. We are down over 5,000 police officers from where we were in 2001, so we have to take a very hard look at the resources that will be utilized for an operation like this," Kelly said.
Prodded by Sen. Charles Schumer, Holder agreed to have the federal government pick up about $75 million of the tab, money that will help turn lower Manhattan into a fortress once the al Qaeda men arrive here.
"We'll have a significant number of police officers on the ground. We'll have equipment sensors; we'll have our Skywatch deployed," Kelly said.
The decision to bring Mohammed and the other terror plotters here has Team Obama and the attorney general playing defense. Critics believe the trial could make New York and even bigger target and that Mohammed will use the court proceedings as a stage for his anti-American rhetoric.
"Does that approach not reward terrorists with benefits like potentially providing them access to sensitive information and providing them a platform for propagandizing?" Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky asked.
Holder said he's not worried.
"We need not cower in the face of this enemy. Our institutions are strong. Our infrastructure is sturdy. Our resolve is firm and our people are ready," Holder said.
Schumer said he's confident justice will be done.
"I've asked Eric Holder if he sees any legal barriers that some defense lawyer could throw in the way of instituting capital punishment for these terrorists and he said no," Schumer said.
However, Republican Congressman Peter King reiterated his stance that a move like this is only asking for trouble.
"The president's decision to bring detainees from Guantanamo to the United States for trial is one of the most dangerous decisions any president has ever made. The president is unilaterally ending the war against terrorism and returning us to a pre-Sept. 11 law enforcement regime," King said.
King and other House Republicans are trying to force a vote on the "Keep Terrorists out of America Act."
It forces the president to certify that any detainee brought here will not ever be released into the country.
(© 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
World's Most Useless Facts
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Click to enlarge
Bloomberg Closes Schools, Urges Drivers Off Roads 9 mins ago 
NYS Senate Votes To Immediately Expel Monserrate 28 mins ago 
Stumble It!
Comments