Opposition is growing toward plans to hold the civilian trial of alleged 9/11 mastermind, Khalid Sheik Mohammed in Lower Manhattan.
“My hope is that the attorney general and the president decide to change their mind,” New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg said earlier this week. He had previously expressed support for the having trial in New York when it was announced by Attorney General Eric Holder last November.
The many politicians opposed to holding the trial in Manhattan include N.Y. Governor David Paterson and N.Y. Senator Kristen Gillibrand. Like Bloomberg, senior N.Y. Senator Chuck Schumer changed his mind about the venue. On Thursday, he said that he was encouraging the Obama administration “to find suitable alternatives.”
The alternatives have included other boroughs or the counties north of the city. The suggestions come in the wake of the discussions of high security costs. New York City officials have estimated that it would cost $200 million dollars annually in security and that the trial could last for years.
Two Obama Administration officials have said that the Justice Department is considering moving the location of the trial and creating plans for possible alternate locations.
See NYTimes for more.
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