"If a member of Al Quieda held a press conference in the US you can bet he or she would be arrested and questioned. . ."

ANYONE can hold an unfettered press conference in the US. The Constitution guarantees it. If the message is a call to actions that are illegal then some "intervention" may occur.
My prayers to the families of those killed and injured. Are Americans able to give blood?
I will be there next week.