The Obamaadministration has abandoned its plan to put Khalid Sheik Mohammed, theself-proclaimed mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, on trial inLower Manhattan, according to administration officials.
"New Yorkis out," said an administration official said on Friday, speaking on the condition ofanonymity because the decision has not been officially announced."We're considering other options."
The reversal marks the latestsetback for an administration that has been buffeted at every turn asit seeks to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay,Cuba. Its options for closing the prison had already been dwindling,and without the backdrop of Ground Zero for a trial, the administrationwill lose some of the rich symbolism associated with its attempt toforge a new approach to handling high-profile al-Qaida detainees.