U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler has sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder asking for a investigation of the NYPD and law enforcement outlets in other cities "to determine whether the unlawful use of force, or the unlawful targeting of individuals based on their participation in constitutionally protective activities, occurred." Nadler specifically cites the alleged kettling "trap" on the Brooklyn Bridge, the handling of the eviction of Zuccotti Park on November 15, and the alleged monitoring of protesters sleeping in churches by the NYPD. “Our law enforcement officers have a duty to protect our health and safety, but that duty must always be discharged with respect for the fundamental First Amendment rights to free expression and peaceful assembly." more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder says that U.S. agencies foiled an Iranian plot to commit "significant terrorist act in the United States"—killing Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to the U.S., Adel A. Al-Jubeir, and bombing the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Washington D.C. ABC News reports, "Bombings of the Saudi and Israeli embassies in Buenos Aires, Argentina, were also discussed, according to the U.S. officials." more ›

Nearly 10 years after 9/11, the Pentagon has re-filed charges before a military commission against Khalid Shaikh Mohammad and four other co-conspirators who allegedly assisted in the planning and execution of the September 11 attacks. Military prosecutors "have recommended that the trial be a capital case" and all five men are charged with "conspiracy, murder in violation of the law of war, attacking civilians, attacking civilian objects, intentionally causing serious bodily injury, destruction of property in violation of the law of war, hijacking aircraft and terrorism," the AP reports. It's a good thing these supervillains are locked up in Guantanamo, New York City would never be able to handle a terror trial. more ›

Thank goodness President Obama restarted trials at Guantanamo Bay—because now Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 terror plot suspects will be tried there instead of the controversial suggested site of New York City. Attorney General Eric Holder will make the decision today. more ›

Hot on the heels of the December repeal of Don't Ask, Don't Tell President Obama has made another shift in policy firmly in the direction of equal rights for gays and lesbians. In a statement today Attorney General Eric Holder has announced that his office will pretty much cease defending the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA)—though it won't stop enforcing it until it is repealed or struck down in court: more ›

Unsurprisingly, the fallout from the latest WikiLeaks continues. U.S. officials are working damage control here and abroad, from Rep. Peter King pushing for the website to be declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization to Attorney General Eric Holder investigating the matter promising "to the extent that we can find anybody who was involved in the breaking of American law and who has put at risk the assets and the people I have described, they will be held responsible," and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton blasting, "This disclosure is not just an attack on America — it's an attack on the international community... There is nothing laudable about endangering innocent people, and there is nothing brave about sabotaging the peaceful relations between nations." And then there's Sarah Palin, saying that she wouldn't have let the leaks happen since her book was leaked and everything. more ›

Looks like there won't be a terror trial in NYC—or a military tribunal—for 9/11 "mastermind" Khalid Sheikh Mohammed: Obama Administration officials tell the Washington Post that KSM "will probably remain in military detention without trial for the foreseeable future." more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder discussed the hot-button topic of trying the 9/11 terror plotters, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with CBS News' Bob Schieffer. The Justice Department still hasn't made a decision about whether KSM and the others will be tried in civilian court or a military tribunal; Holder said they will hold a trial "as soon as we can... We are bound and determined to hold Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and those who worked with him… responsible for happened on September 11," but "One of the things I think that is particularly bothersome to me is that this really has become something that has become political." more ›

In the year, ahem, 1984, law enforcement agencies were given a so-called "public safety exception" to the Miranda rights law, enabling them to interrogate suspects without reading them their rights if they believe a threat is imminent; i.e. the "ticking time bomb" scenario. In the wake the high-profile arrests of the failed Times Square car bomber and the failed Christmas bomber—who were both read their rights after some interrogation—Attorney General Eric Holder is asking Congress for even more flexibility when interrogating terrorist suspects. On ABC's "This Week," Holder said: more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder appeared on "This Week" and "Meet the Press" this morning to say that he believed the Pakistan Taliban was involved in last week's Times Square car bomb attempt, "We've now developed evidence that shows the Pakistani Taliban was behind the attack. We know that they helped facilitate it. We know that they probably helped finance it. And that [terror suspect Faisal Shahzad] was working at their direction." more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee that the Obama administration has not ruled out trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his alleged terror plotting cohorts in New York City, saying a NYC venue is "not off the table," though the White House has been taking "into consideration the concerns that have been raised by local officials, and by the community in New York City." Hold also pointed out, "The Southern District of New York, for instance, is a much larger place than simply Manhattan. There’s also the possibility of trying the case in other venues beyond New York." more ›

The Obama administration is reportedly working on a deal with senators that would shut down the prison at Guantanamo Bay and make Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other accused 9/11 planners stand trial in a military court—not a civilian court. Although President Obama had initially supported Attorney General Eric Holder's plan to try the suspects in a Lower Manhattan federal courthouse, the administration began distancing itself from the proposed New York trial after Republicans and local electeds including Mayor Bloomberg spoke out against it. more ›

Now that it seems the White House will opt for a military tribunal for the 9/11 terorrists, there's some handwringing about the previous, much criticized position that the trial be held in civilian court. A "well-placed Democratic source" complains to the Daily News, "This is Classic 101 Boobery. They all look awful." more ›

As was expected, admitted terrorist plotter Najibullah Zazi implicated his high school pals in his planned attack on the New York subway system. Former classmates Adis Medunjanin and Zarein Ahmedzay were arraigned before a Brooklyn Federal Judge today on new charges [PDF] of plotting three coordinated bombings on rush hour subways in Manhattan. more ›

In a move that seemingly acknowledges the growing backlash against the plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters in a Lower Manhattan courthouse, President Obama has said he will play a bigger role in the selection of a venue for the trial. The Washington Post reports that after initially tapping Attorney General Eric Holder to determine the site of the trial, Obama himself will become more involved so he can secure congressional funding for the case before opponents launch efforts to strip the trial of financing. more ›

Even as his plans to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and four other suspected 9/11 plotters in a Lower Manhattan courthouse seem to be unraveling, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder insists that "[h]istory will show that the decisions we've made are the right ones." In a New Yorker profile, Holder claims that some of the politicians who have blasted the Obama administration for its policies on terror have "a desire to ignore the facts to try to score political points." more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder made a "surprise" visit to the federal courthouse and the Manhattan Correctional Center in lower Manhattan yesterday. Apparently he wanted to check out the digs—and the security—in advance of trying suspected 9/11 plotter Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others. more ›

The furor over holding the trials of alleged 9/11 terror plotters in a Manhattan federal court continues to simmer. Yesterday, U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder testified in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday, "I’m not scared of what [terror mastermind] Khalid Sheik Mohammed has to say at trial — and no one else needs to be either." more ›

The United States will try September 11 attacks mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, as well as four other 9/11 terror plotters, in New York City. Federal sources say that U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder will make the announcement today; President Obama didn't confirm the details, but did say from Japan, "I am absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subjected to the most exacting demands of justice." more ›

One of the confessed masterminds behind the 9/11 attacks, along with four other killers, may be flown from Guantanamo Bay to face death penalty trials in the Big Apple. Yes, we're talking about ex-Al Qaeda "military commander" Khalid Shaikh Mohammed—who admitted last year to being a terrorist "to the bone", said he wished to be a martyr and even played critic to a courtroom sketch artist's drawing of him. more ›

Police Commissioner Ray Kelly spoke about the man the federal authorities believe was planning a terrorist attack—and Newsday reports that Kelly confirmed that the plot was apparently focused on the Big Apple, "We believe the target was most likely here in New York City." more ›

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder discussed the alleged terror plot involving suspect Najibullah Zazi, the former Queens/current Denver resident, and others. Holder said it was "one of the most serious terrorist threats to our country since Sept. 11, 2001... This wasn't merely an 'aspirational' plot with no chance of success. This plot was very serious and, had it not been disrupted, it could have resulted in the loss of American lives." more ›

With the Justice Department's release of a report on the CIA's abuses in overseas prisons and Attorney General Eric Holder's appointment of a special prosecutor to decide whether a full criminal investigation is needed, former Vice President Dick Cheney released a statement. Cheney says having a special prosecutor look into the matter "doubts about this administration’s ability to be responsible for our nation’s security...The people involved deserve our gratitude. They do not deserve to be the targets of political investigations or prosecutions." The AP's assessment of the released documents: "Interrogators took the simulated drowning technique of waterboarding beyond what was authorized. Mock executions were held." Specifically, "In one instance, suspect Abd al-Nashiri, the alleged mastermind of the 2000 USS Cole ship bombing, was hooded and handcuffed and threatened with an unloaded gun and a power drill. The unidentified interrogator also threatened Nashiri's mother and family, implying that they would be sexually abused in front of him, according to the report." Cheney also said, "This intelligence saved lives and prevented terrorist attacks. These detainees also, according to the documents, played a role in nearly every capture of Al Qaeda members and associates since 2002," but Newsweek wonders if the information gained was useful. more ›

We learn more today about Flatbush-born, "Blago-destroyer" US Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. As a leader in going after terrorists since the 1993 WTC attack, he apparently can still recite from memory Osama Bin Laden's 1000-word fatwa declaring war against the US in 1998. Yet another colleague mentions, "He is a disorganized genius—if he didn't remember where things were, no one would ever find it in his office." And did you know that the Regis High School grad was one of People's "sexiest men alive" in 2005? As for his future following the traditional resignation of all US Attorneys at an administration change, Senator Schumer has strongly encouraged new Attorney General Eric Holder that Fitzgerald remain at his post. Schumer said, "(Fitzgerald) has a deserved reputation of being totally non-political and totally on the merits and a tough and strong prosecutor, and I think leaving it in his hands is exactly the right way to go." more ›

The NY Times looks at the life of Eric Holder, whom President-elect Obama announced as his choice for U.S. Attorney General today. Holder grew up in Elmhurst, Queens, went to high school at Stuyvesant High School (where he was one of the few black students and where he co-captained the basketball team), studied at Columbia for undergrad and law school, and clerked at the NAACP before joining the Justice Department, "working his way up to deputy attorney general under Bill Clinton." Currently, he's in private practice in DC. The Times says the young Holder was a "neighborhood kid, a basketball addict" who also studied hard; he said, "I had this dual existence. I wanted to hang. I was still one of the guys. I tried to convince them that I was still cool.” And of any impending games of pickup basketball versus the President-elect, though Holder is 13 years older, he says, "I’m not sure he’s ready for my New York game.” more ›