Congressman George Holding Statement on Administration’s Decision to Try Abu Anas al-Libi in Civilian Court
Oct 15, 2013
Press Release
For Immediate Release: October 15, 2013
Contact: Lindsay Hamilton, 202-225-3032
Congressman George Holding Statement on Administration’s Decision to Try Abu Anas al-Libi in Civilian Court
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman George Holding issued the following statement after the announcement that senior Al Qaeda leader Abu Anas Al-Libi, who was captured earlier this month in Libya after a decade long search, will stand trial in United States federal court for the 1998 U.S. Embassy bombings in Africa which killed 224 people:
“The rights and protections guaranteed to American citizens were never intended for foreign terrorists who seek to kill Americans and destroy our way of life. As a former federal prosecutor, I know that the right place to try a terrorist like Al-Libi is in a military tribunal, not a civilian court. Quickly moving foreign terrorists into civilian trials in the United States is the wrong strategy as we seek to protect to national security and fight global terrorism.
It is alarming that a man who worked alongside Osama Bin Laden will be able to plead the fifth, and it further concerns me that Al-Libi was brought to the United States after less than two weeks of interrogations and intelligence gathering following his capture. This man, involved in terrorist attacks against our nation, has been wanted for 15 years, and I fail to see why the Department of Justice has quickly moved him to civilian court rather than continuing to gather potentially vital intelligence.”
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