Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Harvey Kushner Knows Firsthand What We Can Expect at 9/11 Trial

The decision to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) to stand trial in federal court in the Southern District of New York was met with much controversy. And now the defendant's attorney, Scott Fenstermaker, is saying that his clients will plead not guilty and use the trial to dispute American foreign policy and justify their actions. The outrage cuts across party lines while media coverage has seen pundits debate what it all means. Little discussion is informed and based on facts. Misinformation abounds.

In 1998, Khalfan Khamis Mohamed was one of numerous al-Qaeda suspects who were indicted and one of the four who were convicted and sentenced to life without parole for his part in the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania. Mr. Mohamed was convicted and sentenced in the weeks before the 9/11 World Trade Center bombing in the same federal court where KSM is scheduled to stand trial.

Noted terrorism expert, Dr. Harvey Kushner, was on the defense team of Khalfan Khamis Mohamed. Dr. Kushner helped prepare the background for saving Mr. Mohamed's life during his trial and the subsequent penalty phase, and can describe in detail how Mr. Mohamed's life was spared, and, more importantly, why. His valuable real-world experience will shed light on what we can expect during the KSM trial and how KSM might be sentenced to life without parole. Dr. Kushner can also discuss from firsthand experience security issues surrounding the 2000/2001 trial as well the upcoming trial of KSM.

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