In a previous post, we shared with you that the perpetrators behind the 9/11 terrorist attacks were going to stand trial in New York, a few blocks away from where the World Trade Center once stood.

The government, though, has had a change of heart, according a news report on the New York Times. There were mixed reactions from New Yorkers regarding the government’s sudden turnabout.

On the one hand, having the trials in New York – where it all happened – was viewed by some of its residents as “symbolic of the city’s resilience” and that it would have “showcased the strength of the nation’s justice system”.

Interviews with several New Yorkers expressed the same sentiment. Fifty-seven-year-old John Rapaport gave the opinion that a New York Trial was important and can “show the entire world that we’re capable,” while dining at a halal restaurant.

Recent college graduate 23-year-old Majed Almontaser, interviewed while on his way to Masjid al-Farooq mosque, found having the trial in Lower Manhattan as a good idea: “It will bring a sort of justice to the situation. The people who lost family can actually see the court taking place. It will bring some sort of comfort.”

Still, however, there were those who expressed concern about the logistical and security nightmare that may accompany a trial of that nature in Lower Manhattan. There will undoubtedly be a need for road blocks, checkpoints and rooftop sharpshooters in the financial district and Chinatown.

In addition, Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last month that costs to institute a security lockdown will exceed more than $200 million a year.