US to Try Somali Terror Suspect in Civilian Court
The Justice Department announced on Tuesday that it will prosecute a Somali man accused of having ties to two terrorist groups in a civilian court.
The man, Ahmed Abdulkadir Warsame was charged with nine counts related to accusations that he provided support to the Shabab in Somalia and Al Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula in Yemen. Though he is reported to be in his mid-20s and has not been charged with plotting any specific attacks, the Justice Department has called Warsame a “Shabab leader.” The administration’s decision to prosecute Warsame in civilian court has intensified the ongoing debate over how to detain and prosecute terror suspects. Warsame was held and interrogated for two months aboard a Navy vessel.
Eric Schmitt, a senior writer and terrorism correspondent for our partner The New York Times, joins us with the latest.
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