Introduction
Attorney General Eric Holder is at the center of the controversy over where to prosecute Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the September 11 attacks — before a military tribunal or in a federal criminal court, as Holder originally decided. (AFP/Getty Images/Mandel Ngan)
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President Obama is under fierce political attack for the administration's decision to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged mastermind of the Sept. 11 attacks, and Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the so-called Christmas Day bomber, in civilian courts instead of military tribunals. Republican lawmakers argue the defendants in both cases should be treated as “enemy combatants” and tried in the military commissions established during the Bush administration. Administration officials and Democratic lawmakers say criminal prosecutions are more effective, having produced hundreds of convictions since 9/11 compared to only three in the military system. And they insist that Abdulmutallab is providing useful information under interrogation by FBI agents. But the administration is reconsidering Attorney General Eric Holder's original decision to hold Mohammed's trial in New York City and considering making greater use of military commissions with other terrorism cases.
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May 14, 2021 |
Domestic Terrorism |
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Apr. 09, 2021 |
Targeted Killings |
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Apr. 01, 2016 |
Defeating the Islamic State |
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Jan. 29, 2016 |
Unrest in Turkey |
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Jun. 27, 2014 |
Assessing the Threat From al Qaeda |
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Sep. 02, 2011 |
Remembering 9/11 |
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Sep. 03, 2010 |
Homegrown Jihadists |
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Mar. 12, 2010 |
Prosecuting Terrorists  |
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Nov. 2009 |
Terrorism and the Internet |
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Feb. 13, 2009 |
Homeland Security |
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Apr. 21, 2006 |
Port Security |
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Oct. 14, 2005 |
Global Jihad |
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Apr. 02, 2004 |
Nuclear Proliferation and Terrorism |
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Feb. 22, 2002 |
Policing the Borders |
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Oct. 12, 2001 |
War on Terrorism |
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Jul. 21, 1995 |
Combating Terrorism |
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Aug. 26, 1988 |
New Approach to Mideast Terrorism |
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May 30, 1986 |
Dealing With Terrorism |
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Oct. 08, 1982 |
Prospects for Peace in Northern Ireland |
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Mar. 27, 1981 |
Anti-Terrorism: New Priority in Foreign Policy |
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Dec. 02, 1977 |
International Terrorism |
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Jan. 26, 1973 |
Control of Skyjacking |
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May 13, 1970 |
Political Terrorism |
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Jul. 24, 1952 |
Red Terrorism in Malaya |
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