Panel of experts strips away some of the many layers of the pending 9/11 terror trials

A panel of legal and security experts expressed several interesting views on the pending 9/11 terror trials, including the location of the federal hearing and Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.

The discussion on Wednesday was part of the 9/11, Today and Tomorrow speakers series hosted by the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.  According to a news report by DNAinfo.com's Julie Shapiro, the panel debated over whether the trial should be held in a civilian court in the Southern District of New York or a military tribunal. The cost of security and the impact it would have on the lives of the city's residents were also covered, the report noted.

The three-person panel included Karen Greenberg, who is the executive director of NYU’s Center on Law and Security; Dennis Farrell, a nationally recognized security expert with more than three decades in law enforcement and New York State Supreme Court Judge Edward McCarty, an expert in military tribunals.

The discussion can be viewed in HD online for free May 5 thanks to WNET.ORG's THIRTEEN Forum. The event will also be available for download through Apple’s iTunes.

Don’t miss the next event in this enlightening speakers series. RSVP now for the May 19 lecture featuring a counterterrorism official who’ll detail the deadly inner-workings of al Qaeda. On June 23, Pulitzer-prize winning New York Times reporter David Rohde (pronounced Road) will headline a lecture on the Taliban. Rohde escaped the Taliban after being held captive from November 2008 to June 2009.

Due to limited space, it’s highly recommended that you RSVP online at national911memorial.org/rsvp. A suggested donation of $10 per person will help support ongoing programming. Again, this event and others in the series can be viewed at thirteen.org/forum.

By Michael Frazier, Sr. Communications Manager for the 9/11 Memorial