Today a the ranking GOP member of the House Homeland Security Committee said he wants the man who tried to ignite a bomb aboard a U.S.-bound plane on Christmas Day to be tried in a military tribunal instead of a civilian court.

Rep. Peter King, speaking on NBC’s “Today” show this morning, and said the military trial would allow investigators to obtain more useful information out of the suspect, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. If the suspect is tried in civil court, rights afforded him – such as the Sixth Amendment right to counsel and the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination – it will be more difficult for authorities to get such information, the New York lawmaker said.

Last month, the decision by the Obama administration to hold the trials for accused Sept. 11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and three alleged co-conspirators in a New York federal court instead of a military commission drew wide criticism from some lawmakers, victims’ families and even former Vice President Dick Cheney.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, December 29th, 2009 at 9:14 am and is filed under Congress, Federal Courts. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.