9/11 kin split on 'Bam's terror trial plan

By Dan Gesslein

& David Greene 

For one Bronx woman who lost her firefighter son on 9/11, putting Khalid Shaikh Mohammed on trial in a Manhattan courtroom would mean the victims’ families could finally see justice. Others question the need to try the terrorist in civilian court.

Sally Regenhard, who lost her son Christian in the Twin Towers, told the News that she is pleased that Mohammed could see justice. Regenhard would have preferred seeing the alleged mastermind of 9/11 face a military tribunal but would not mind seeing Mohammed inside a Manhattan courtroom on trial a short distance from Ground Zero.

“What is more appropriate than to return to the scene of the crime,” she said. “I want to see justice. None of the 9/11 families have received justice. We haven’t had one case through a military tribunal.”

Regenhard said that when she met with President Obama she and other 9/11 families stressed the need to bring the terrorists to justice. The founder of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign is annoyed at the partisan attacks on the Administration over this issue. She believes Mohammed can get a fair trial and that Americans should have faith in the justice system.

Critics had charged that Mohammed was an enemy combatant and a war criminal guilty of mass murder. They believe a US criminal court is not the place for him. They fear that a trial will parade water boarding and other tactics in essence placing the US government on trial.

“For those who say to have faith in the system and that this won’t be a circus I got one thing to say: OJ,” one Bronxite said.

"I have no opinion on that, I don't care where they hold it. The only thing I had in my mind was why do we have to go to civil court, what's wrong with the military doing it?” said Jack Lynch, whose firefighter son Michael perished on 9/11. “It’s like saying we don't trust the military, we're going to do it in civilian court. Justice is going to be done either way, I think. I really believe that, one way or another... As long as justice prevails, I don't care how they do it.” 

"I lost a lot of friends in there... It's definitely a mistake because they're going to lose... and if they do walk, I'm going to protest it and 98 percent of Americans will protest against it,” said Norwood resident Keith Weeks.