US restarts Gitmo trials of 9/11 suspects

US PRESIDENT Barack Obama’s decision to resume military trials for detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba will open the door for the prosecution there of several suspected 9/11 conspirators, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

Obama’s order, which reverses his move two years ago to halt new trials, has re-ignited arguments over the legality of the military commissions, despite ongoing US efforts to reform the hotly debated system.

But fierce congressional opposition to trying Mohammed and other Guantanamo detainees in the US left Obama with few options. And it forced him to reluctantly retreat, at least for now, from his promise to shut the prison down.