Under Bharara , the U.S. Attorney 's Office for the Southern District of New York " won a string of major terrorism trials . " Bharara was an advocate of trying terrorists in civilian federal courts rather than in the military commissions at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp ; he contrasted his office 's record of successfully convicting terrorists with the lengthy , secretive , and inefficient Guantanamo practice . In a 2014 interview , Bharara said the historical record would show that " greater transparency and openness and legitimacy " leads to " more serious and appropriate punishment . " Citing his success in terrorism trials , Bharara stated : " These trials have been difficult , but they have been fair and open and prompt ... in an American civilian courtroom , the American people and all the victims of terrorism can be vindicated without sacrificing our principles . " Some of the high-profile terrorist figures convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment during Bharara 's term include Sulaiman Abu Ghaith , Osama bin Laden 's son-in-law ; Khalid al-Fawwaz and Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani , Osama bin Laden aides who plotted the 1998 United States embassy bombings that killed 224 people ; Mostafa Kamel Mostafa , a cleric who masterminded the 1998 kidnappings of 16 American , British and Australian tourists in Yemen ; and Faisal Shahzad , the attempted Times Square bomber . Bharara also won a conviction and 25-year sentence for international arms smuggler Viktor Bout
1998 United States embassy bombings
1998 United States embassy bombings
Preet Bharara