US stalls on Sept. 11 trial for 5 at Guantanamo

Canadian prisoner Omar Khadr, accused of killing an American soldier during a raid on an al-Qaida compound, is scheduled to go to trial Aug. 9 at the U.S. base in Cuba.

But Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the professed mastermind of the attacks, and four alleged accomplices are still sequestered at Guantanamo without charges. The Obama administration, after months of review, hasn't made a decision on whether to seek a military or civilian trial.

It's a delay that has angered relatives of Sept. 11 victims. It also has created an unusual situation: Previous war-crimes proceedings, in which Mohammed boasted of his role in the attacks and said he wanted to plead guilty, have essentially been erased. No U.S. officials will say what the plans are for the five men who were transferred in 2006 to Guantanamo from secret CIA custody.

"There's no case, there's no judge, there's nothing," said Navy Lt. Cmdr. Richard Federico, a military lawyer appointed to defend alleged plotter Ramzi bin al Shibh. "They are back into the black hole."

Attorney General Eric Holder announced in November the trial would be moved to federal court in New York. But the administration backtracked and put the issue under review after local officials objected to the costs and potential security threat.

The military and justice department refer questions about the status to the White House, which said in March a decision was weeks away. An Obama administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press on Friday it is still reviewing the venue and forum for the trial.