WAITING

Still No Plans to Try 9/11 Mastermind

Because of opposition in Congress and in NY.

It has been nearly a decade since he allegedly orchestrated the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the U.S., but Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is no closer to a trial. Because of opposition in Congress and in New York, the Obama administration has decided it cannot put Mohammed on trial in federal court, meaning that he will simply remain in military detention for the time being. Despite claims to the contrary from Attorney General Eric Holder—he said this week that the White House was close to a decision on the trial—officials say that any trial, federal or not, would be unlikely until after the next presidential election. New York politicians like Sen. Charles Schumer have been particularly outspoken with their opposition to any proceedings in their state. “[Holder] says soon. Schumer says never. It's somewhere between the two," said a senior administration official. Mohammed, who was first captured in 2008, can be held indefinitely by the U.S. under the laws of war, the administration argues.