PrintMore anti-Trump nonsense by the media
A suspect in the plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the prophet Mohammed has been extradited from Spain to be tried in U.S. federal court.
The Trump administration has transferred an al Qaeda suspect to the United States to face trial in federal court for terrorism charges.
The move goes against President Trump's position during the presidential campaign for holding and prosecuting terrorism suspects at the naval prison at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Attorney General Jeff Sessions also has advocated for prosecuting terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.
Ali Charaf Damache, the first foreigner to face terrorism charges in the U.S. under Trump, was transferred from Spain and appeared Friday in federal court in Philadelphia, The New York Times reported.
He was charged with assisting in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist who depicted the Prophet Muhammad in cartoons.
The Obama administration had begun the process of seeking his extradition to the U.S., the Times said, and Trump continued that effort.
Former Attorney General Eric Holder, a leading advocate for using civilian courts for terrorism suspects, credited the Trump administration for its decision to prosecute Damache in the U.S.
More anti-Trump nonsense by the media on this issue. It would have been more trouble to halt extradition of the suspect to federal court and petition the Spanish government to transfer Damache to Guantanamo – with no guarantee Madrid would acquiesce.
Also, Damache is a minor player in AQ, and it is likely that most of the evidence against him is not classified. One of the major reasons to try terrorism suspects at Guantanamo is that the highly classified evidence gathered against the suspects would put intelligence sources and methods at risk if the trial took place in a civilian court. The argument that judges and prosecutors would be able to keep that intel secret is unconvincing.
There is also the possibility that terrorists would look to attack venues where suspects are being tried. Even Democrats were extremely reluctant to support civilian trials for terrorists in American cities, given the threat.
The Trump administration bowed to logic in this case, not the Obama administration policy of bringing terrorists to the U.S. for trial.
