NEW YORK, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Public opinion in New York is split almost evenly on whether the avowed mastermind of the 2001 terrorist attacks should be tried in the city, a poll said.
While 45 percent of those surveyed said trying Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants in the city where almost 3,000 people died on Sept. 11, 2001, is a good idea, 41 percent disagreed, the Marist Institute of Public Opinion found.
A Washington Post-ABC News poll found the United States is also divided. Almost half, 47 percent, said the suspects should be tried in a civilian court and 48 percent said by a military tribunal. There was a partisan split, with 61 percent of Democrats saying they preferred a civilian court, while 58 percent of Republicans and 53 percent of independents said they preferred a tribunal.
Forty percent of those responding to the Marist poll said holding the trial in the city would increase the chance of another terrorist attack there.
Marist questioned 602 New York City residents by telephone on Nov. 16. The poll has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.
For the Washington Post-ABC poll, 1,001 people were surveyed between Nov. 12 and Nov. 15. The poll has a margin of error of 3 percentage points.
