Prospect of local terror trial raises furor
By: Bill Myers
Examiner Staff Writer
January 17, 2010
washingtonexaminer.com
Riduan Isamuddin, known as "Hambali," is an Indonesian Islamist suspected of leading a bombing plot that killed more than 200 nightclubbers in Bali in 2002 (INOONG/AFP/Getty Images)
News that the Obama administration might bring an accused terrorist mastermind to D.C. for trial set off a furious debate over whether the Justice Department is sacrificing public safety for political ideology.
Attorney General Eric Holder is considering the District as a site to try Riduan Isamuddin, known as "Hambali," an Indonesian Islamist suspected of leading a bombing plot that killed more than 200 nightclubbers in Bali in 2002. Hambali is currently held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, but the administration has promised open, civilian trials of its terrorist suspects as part of a commitment to break with the secrecy of the Bush years.
Justice Department spokesman Dean Boyd said it was "far too premature" to say whether Hambali would be brought to justice in the District. But the prospect was unsettling to many legal and security experts.
Rep. Frank Wolf, R-Va., dashed off a furious letter to Holder on Friday, condemning the very idea.
"I have been receiving classified briefings on terrorist threats to the U.S., including briefings as recently as this week, and my concerns about civilian trials for Guantanamo detainees have only been heightened," Wolf's letter states. "If the American people knew these threats, they would never tolerate the transfer of these detainees to major urban population centers for trial."
Wolf said the security for a D.C.-area Hambali trial might cost up to $1 billion.
D.C. Councilwoman Mary Cheh, a constitutional law professor with a long history in international law, said she'd prefer to see Hambali tried in Virginia. But the important thing is that he's tried in a civilian court -- even if it means a civilian court in the District.
"It's the strongest manifestation of both our will and our capacity to live in a democratic society," said Cheh, D-Ward 3.
But former District U.S. Attorney Joseph diGenova said the threats won't end with Hambali's trial. The judge who oversaw the trial of the 1993 World Trade Center bombers is still under federal protection.
"This is worse than playing with fire," diGenova said. "This is a lot of people's lives."
Retired Navy Cmdr. Kirk Lippold told The Examiner he's worried that a Hambali trial would expose American interrogation techniques, like waterboarding. That no other country was willing to take Guantanamo prisoners show how risky the prospect is.
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., said that D.C. routinely handles high-security events like presidential inaugurations. He also said he thinks the terrorist threat is overblown.
"These terrorists don't have an air force or navy or even much of an army of their own," he said. "I don't know what people are so afraid of."
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