Obama May Reverse Trial Plan for 9/11 Suspect and Use Military Tribunal

White House advisers are edging toward a recommendation for a military trial of accused 9/11 schemer Khalid Sheik Mohammed, reversing the controversial decision by Attorney General Eric Holder to try the terror suspect in a civilian court in New York City, the Washington Post reports.

President Obama has favored civilian trials in terrorism cases to demonstrate America's commitment to the rule of law. But his administration has faced enormous pressure from critics demanding that Mohammed -- the self-proclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks -- and four other suspects remain under control of the U.S. military. Foes of the civilian trial also questioned whether Manhattan, scene of death and destruction in 2001, was an appropriate and secure venue.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Thursday that "no decisions have been made." But a reversal on the trial location and jurisdiction might help Obama convince a skeptical Congress to give him the funding he needs to shut down the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and move detainees to a facility in the United States.