MichiganRadio

Holder: 'Failure is not an Option' in 9/11 Trials WASHINGTON, DC (Associated Press) - Attorney General Eric Holder is telling senators "failure is not an option" when it comes to the prosecution of professed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Appearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Holder has been explaining his decision to bring Mohammed and four other terror suspects from the military prison at Guantanamo Bay to federal court in Manhattan for a civilian trial.

Asked about the possibility of an acquittal, Holder stated: "These are cases that have to be won." But he added if any of the five are acquitted, they will not be released in the United States.

Sen. Jon Kyl challenged the wisdom of Holder's decision to bring the case to civilian courts. Noting that Mohammed had sought to plead guilty before a military commission, the Arizona Republican drew applause when he asked: "How could he be more likely to get a conviction than that?"

Holder responded that the decision on how to prosecute the case would not be based "on the whims or the desires of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed." © Copyright 2012, Associated Press