Obama to revive Gitmo trials

WASHINGTON: President Obama is due to announce this week that he is reviving controversial military trials for suspected terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, US officials said.

But Obama, who sharply criticized the use of military commissions to try extremists under his predecessor George W. Bush, may ask lawmakers to expand legal protections for detainees, the officials said on Tuesday, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Obama was scheduled to meet in the Oval Office yesterday with Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy and Senator Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the panel, in addition to congressional leadership.