Home > Zacarias Moussaoui

In November of 2003, the FBI made mention of a different suspect as the 20th hijacker. Ramzi Binalshibh, a member of the Hamburg cell, was said to be the "first" 20th hijacker. He and Zakariyah Essabar were denied visas to the US, so the men allegedly scrambled to find another man to fill the spot. That's where Moussaoui allegedly falls in.

Moussaoui was arrested about four weeks prior to 9/11 and charged with an immigration violation. After the attack, Moussaoui was implicated in the attack and in DecemberDecember is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 31 days. From the Latin decem for " ten" (it was originally the tenth month of the year, before January and February were inserted). The winter solstice falls in December., 20012001 is a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar), and also: The International Year of the Volunteer The United Nations Year of Dialogue Among Civilizations Events January January 1 A black monolith measuring approximately nine feet tall ap a federal grand jury in VirginiaVirginia is one of the original 13 states of the United States that revolted against British rule in the American Revolution and is generally classified as part of the South. Its official name is the Commonwealth of Virginia it is one of four Commonwealth charged him with conspiracy "to murder thousands of innocent people in New YorkNew York is a state in the northeastern United States whose U. postal abbreviation is NY . It is sometimes called New York State when there is need to distinguish it from New York City. History See: History of New York New York was one of the thirteen col, Virginia and PennsylvaniaPennsylvania (the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is one of four states of the United States of America that is called a commonwealth. It has given its name to the Pennsylvanian time period in geology. Pennsylvania is called the Keystone State. Although Swed."

His trial opened in October, 20022002 is a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). 2002 was the first palindromic year since 1991 and the last until 2112. 2002 was also designated: International Year of Ecotourism and Mountains National Science Year in the United Kingdom in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 128,283. It is located on the west bank of the Potomac River, six miles below Washington, DC. This city is a part of the Washingto under the view of Judge Leonie Brinkema . Prior to the opening of the trial, Moussaoui, to the shock of his court-appointed attorneys, declined their assistance and asked to defend himself. Brinkema deemed him competent to defend himself and allowed the trial to move forward. Moussaoui has since requested the occasional assistance of attorneys to help him with technical issues.

If convicted, Moussaoui could be given the death penalty. Germany says it will not release evidence against Moussaoui unless the U.S. promises not to seek the death penalty.

Moussaoui has admitted his involvement with al-Qaida, but he claims he was not involved in the 9/11 attacks. Rather, he has claimed that he was preparing for a separate attack. Ramzi Binalshibh, an al-Qaida leader in U.S. custody and an alleged mastermind of the 9/11 attacks, has told investigators that Moussaoui met with him prior to 9/11, but Binalshibh chose not to use him. Binalshibh felt that Moussaoui had previously drawn too much attention to himself through a series of flight lessons and inquiries about crop dusting . No evidence directly linking Moussaoui to the 9/11 attacks has been released. Jemaah Islamiah leader Riduan Ismauddin, a.k.a. Hambali, sent cohort Yazid Sufaat to provide Moussaoui with $35,000 and travel documents in Malaysia in October 2000.

The case is widely seen as a barometer of the ability and willingness of the United States to give a fair hearing to terror suspects. Moussaoui has angered many people, including Judge Brinkema, with repeated outbursts and inflammatory statements. Moussaoui has admitted that he is using the trial as a soapbox to advertise Islamic fundamentalism and his views on America.

The trial has highlighted a tension in America between the judiciary and national security. Moussaoui has made requests for access to confidential documents and the right to call captive al-Qaida members as witnesses, notably Binalshibh. Both requests are claimed by prosecutors to be potential threats to national security. The motion to access confidential documents was denied by Judge Brinkema and a decision on the use of al-Qaida prisoners as witnesses is still pending.

Brinkema put the death penalty and 9/11 "off limits" on October 2, 2003, in reply to government defiance of her order to provide access to Moussaoui's witnesses. This is being appealed as of October 27. The latter restriction is no great problem for the prosecution, since the defendant seems pleased to admit involvement in a non-9/11 al-Qaida plot; but it would be an embarrassing end to the only 9/11 indictment likely to come. More ominously, it motivates the government to take future prosecutions to the military tribunals, where the defendant has very few rights.