Self-Professed September 11th Mastermind to be Tried at Guantanamo Bay

According to Reuters, and contrary to the original plans of the Obama Administration, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be tried at the Guantanamo Bay Facility. Mohammed has confessed to his role in planning 9/11. The President had wanted the trial to occur in civilian courts, specifically in New York. However a vocal opposition objected to this plan for a number of reasons ranging from the potential for an increased risk of repeat attacks to arguments that Mohammed is not a civilian at all but rather a war criminal.

Though the story is newsworthy in itself, it is also a sign of bigger problems for the Obama administration as it is an implicit acknowledgement that Guantanamo Bay is not closing for the forseeable future. This is a clear reversal from Obama's campaign promise to have the base closed by the end of his first year in office. According to Reuters, an anonymous U.S. official commented that the administration 'had no choice but to pursue military commission trials after Congress in December adopted restrictions on prosecuting Guantanamo prisoners in civilian courts.'