Mayor Michael Bloomberg wishes the Obama administration would make a decision about where to try the accused mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and his cronies.
After months of wrangling over the trial -- should it be military or civilian? what are the pros and cons of holding it in Manhattan? what are the other options? -- the White House has yet to get the ball rolling. And on his weekly radio show Friday morning, Bloomberg urged them to start moving.
"It's not going to get any easier," he said of the decision-making process.
Attorney General Eric Holder announced last year that the trial of Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the professed mastermind of the attacks, and four other alleged co-conspirators would be held in federal court in lower Manhattan. The decision sparked criticism from local residents and elected officials, who pleaded for the trials to be held elsewhere out of concern over costs and public safety.
Bloomberg originally called the decision "fitting," but later backtracked, saying the trial would be too expensive and disruptive for New Yorkers and that the decision wasn't up to him anyway.
The White House has said it is considering other options, but Holder said this week that New York City is still not off the table.
