Judge agrees to another delay of 9-11 trial

Sep 21, 2009, 17:54 GMT

Washington - A US military judge at Guantanamo Bay has agreed to postpone the trial of five alleged conspirators in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by 60 days.

The judge, Army Colonel Stephen Henley, agreed to the delay to provide the Obama administration more time to determine whether the trial should be moved to a civilian court or stay in the military tribunals, Fox News reported. It was the third delay.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the supposed ring leader of the group, and the four other defendants face the death penalty for the murder of nearly 3,000 people.

President Barack Obama said in May that he is open to trying some of the terrorist suspects at the US Navy base in Cuba but is also open to bringing some of the detainees into US federal courts. Obama has revamped the rules for the controversial military commissions first established by his predecessor George W Bush.

Human rights groups strongly object to the continued use of the tribunals. Obama said the revised commissions provide expanded rights to the defendants. The new rules place limits on hearsay evidence and ban information obtained through inhumane interrogation techniques. The accused have expanded rights in selecting their lawyers.

Obama has pledged to close Guantanamo by the end of January but has encountered congressional opposition to bringing detainees to the United States for possible incarceration or trial. The facility still holds about 225 detainees.

Obama has struggled to find other countries willing to resettle detainees slated for release.