Alleged 9/11 Mastermind and 4 Other Gitmo Prisoners to Stand Trial in NY Federal Court

Mohammed and the four others will be transferred from Guantanamo to New York for the trial. Attorney General Holder is also expected to announce that military commissions will be used to try others at Guantanamo, including Abd al-Rahim al Nashir, the accused mastermind of the 2000 attack on the USS Cole warship in Yemen.

It is not clear where commission-bound detainees like al-Nashiri might be sent, but a military brig in South Carolina has been high on the list of considered sites.

The moves marks one of the first major steps by the Obama administration to close the prison at Guantanamo. During a press conference in Japan President Obama said: ‘’I am absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subjected to the most exacting demands of justice.’’

Meanwhile White House Counsel Gregory Craig who struggled to lead the closure of Guantanamo is expected to announce his resignation today. To assess the future of Guantanamo Bay and the more than 200 men still in detention there, we’re joined in the firehouse studio by British journalist and historian Andy Worthington. He is the author of the book “The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison.” He’s just directed a documentary film with Polly Nash called “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo.”

Andy Worthington, British journalist and historian. He is the author of the book “The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison.” He’s just directed a documentary film with Polly Nash called “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo.”