Washington - US President Barack Obama acknowledged on Wednesday that the January deadline for closing the Guantanamo Bay prison facility will be missed. In numerous interviews with US broadcasters while travelling through Asia, Obama also defended the decision to try the five alleged plotters of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in federal court.
Days after taking office, Obama set a January 22 deadline for shuttering the controversial detention centre, but his administration has struggled with how to conduct the trials of those who can be prosecuted, and finding countries willing to take detainees set for release. There are still about 215 prisoners at Guantanamo.
"We had a specific deadline that was missed," Obama told CNN.
The Obama administration has come under fire from Republican critics over last week's announcement that the self-professed mastermind of the September 11 attacks, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, and four co-defendants will be tried in New York rather than in the military tribunals.
Asked about critics who find it offensive that Mohammed will be granted the same rights as American citizens, Obama predicted the prosecution against Mohammed will be successful.
"I don't think it will be offensive at all when he's convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him," Obama said on NBC.
Obama said he did not order his top prosecutor, Attorney General Eric Holder, to conduct the trial in a federal court. He said he told Holder to make a decision based on the evidence and rule of law. Holder announced his decision on Friday.
Meanwhile, Holder was in front of the Senate on Wednesday defending the move.
Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, criticized Holder for casting the military commissions aside, arguing their use is valid during a time of war.
"I believe this decision is dangerous. I believe it's misguided. I believe it is unnecessary," Sessions said.
"It represents a departure from our long-standing policy that these kind of cases should be treated under the well-established rules of war," Sessions added.
Holder said federal courts are well-versed in conducting terrorism trials and that he made his decision based on how best to win convictions for the five men.
"We need not cower in the face of this enemy. Our institutions are strong, our infrastructure is sturdy, our resolve is firm, and our people are ready," he said.
Holder dismissed the possibility that Mohammed could use the spotlight to engage in anti-American rhetoric, encouraging al-Qaeda's recruitment efforts, as he did in statements before the military tribunal in Guantanamo.
"I have every confidence that the nation and the world will see him for the coward that he is," Holder said.
