« Russia: Islam Love Fest in Moscow |
| India: Muslim Man Divorces Wife While Sleeping »
April 3, 2006
US: Islamist Moussaoui Eligible For Death Penalty
News from the Times, the Washington Post and CNN report that the jury in the trial of French citizen Zacarias Moussaoui, being held in Alexandria, Virginia, has declared a verdict on the accused. The verdict is that Moussaoui, who admits to being part of an Al-Qaeda plot connected with 9/11, is eligible for death.
Last week, Moussaoui stunned the court with his admission that he had known of the 9/11 attacks, but had deliberately lied to the FBI to prevent them from discovering the plot. Moussaoui had been arrested in Minnesota on August 16, 2001. He said that while he was in custody, he had bought a radio so that he could listen to reports of the 9/11 attacks as they took place. He also said he was due to fly a plane into the White House with Richard Reid, the British would-be "shoe-bomber".
According to BBC TV news, Moussaoui said today after the verdict: "You will never get my blood. God curse you all."
But the trial is not over. This is only stage one. The trial continues, and after a short recess, further witnesses and evidence will be heard. The jurors will, after hearing further evidence, then have to deliver the final verdict: whether or not he is to receive the actual death sentence.
The trial, in the presence of U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema has had ups and downs, and at one stage, when it appeared that witnesses had been "rehearsed" there were fears that a mistrial would be declared. It seems that last week's spontaneous confessions have convinced the jurors that Moussaoui is not a small pawn in a larger Al-Qaeda plot, but a committed and involved key-player.
On April 22 last year, Moussaoui had pleaded guilty on charges of conspiracy, connected with his involvement with the 9/11 attacks. Moussaoui is the only member of the cell which planned the attacks to stand trial.
The current trial is not about establishing his guilt, but about establishing whether he receives a death sentence or life imprisonment. For relatives of those killed in the 9/11 attacks, who have been watching the trial live via video-link at six court locations in the United States, today's verdict is one step towards the verdict that some hope will bring their anger to a conclusion.
But not all relatives are happy with today's verdict. Carrie Lemack, the daughter of Judy Larocque who was killed on 9/11 said: "We don't want to make him a martyr. The last thing that a lot of us want to see happen is to allow him to die with the name martyr by his side."
Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at April 3, 2006 5:25 PM
Comments
Post a comment
Thanks for signing in, . Now you can comment. (sign out)
(If you haven't left a comment here before, you may need to be approved by the site owner before your comment will appear. Until then, it won't appear on the entry. Thanks for waiting.)