Former Vice President Dick Cheney says trying suspected Sept. 11 terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City will make him “as important or more important than Osama bin Laden.”

In an interview with Fox News Channel personality Sean Hannity, Cheney said holding the trial in a lower Manhattan courtroom near ground zero will make Mohammed “a hero in certain circles, especially in the radical regions of Islam around the world.”

Cheney said the trial will put Mohammed “on the map.”

The Republican called Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision in November to try Mohammed and four other 9/11 suspects in a civilian federal court near ground zero “a huge mistake.”

The interview, for which Fox News provided a partial transcript, was scheduled to air Tuesday.