Ground Zero's congressman welcomes 9/11 suspects to district for trial

The congressman representing "ground zero" in the 9/11 attacks welcomed on Friday the decision by the Obama administration to try suspects in his district.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), who represents much of southern Manhattan, including the sites of the September 11, 2001 attacks, applauded the Obama administration's decision to try suspects in that attack in civilian courts in Nadler's district.

"I applaud the decision to bring those individuals responsible for the attack on the World Trade Center to New York to face trial in our federal courts," Nadler said in a statement. "New York is not afraid of terrorists, we want to confront them, we want to bring them to justice, and we want to hold them accountable for their despicable actions."

Attorney General Eric Holder announced this morning that alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other terror suspects would be tried in federal court in Manhattan.

The announcement has sparked an outcry amongst Republicans (including New York GOP Rep. Peter King), though Nadler and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) have welcomed the move.


“It is fitting that they be tried in New York, where the attack took place," Nadler said. "Any suggestion that our prosecutors and our law enforcement personnel are not up to the task of safely holding and successfully prosecuting terrorists on American soil is insulting and untrue."

Nadler did however express disappointment in Holder and the Obama administration for continuing to use military tribunals against other terror suspects still held in Guantanamo Bay, cuba.

"While Congress has reformed some aspects of that system, the military commissions are no substitute for trials in our federal courts or through courts-martial," he said. "We must ensure that these commissions are not simply used as a lesser vehicle for cases in which the evidence is not sufficient.”