Report: 9/11 Mastermind Won't Be Tried In NYC, U.S.
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The self-proclaimed mastermind behind the 9/11 attacks may not be tried in New York City or anywhere else in the United States.
Obama administration officials told the Washington Post that because of opposition from lawmakers in both congress and New York, the administration has concluded it wasn't feasible to put Khalid Sheik Mohammed on trial in federal court.
Those officials also said that it was likely that Mohammed would continue to remain in military detention.
Earlier this week, Attorney General Eric Holder said a decision was nearing on a trial for Mohammed.
On Wednesday, Long Island Congressman Peter King urged the Attorney General not to hold any 9/11 trials in New York or elsewhere in the U.S.
"These 9/11 terrorists should be tried before a military commission at Guantanamo," King said in a statement posted on his website.
The same report in the Washington Post stated that there was "little internal support" for a military trial at Guantanamo Bay. That option, the paper said, would "alienate liberal supporters."
On Friday, New York Governor-Elect Andrew Cuomo said he opposed holding the terror trials in New York state.
Holder originally proposed trying Mohammed and four alleged accomplices in Manhattan federal court. But the administration backtracked after New Yorkers and elected officials including Mayor Bloomberg objected to the costs and potential security threat.
Cuomo told reporters he would "advocate forcefully" to keeping the trials out of the state altogether.
