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07 February 2006

Juror Selection Begins for Sentencing of 9/11 Terrorist

Outbursts result in al-Qaida terrorist's removal from courtroom

By Carol Walker
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- More than 500 potential jurors in the sentencing trial of Zacarias Moussaoui began filling out questionnaires in an Alexandria, Virginia, federal courtroom on February 6.

Moussaoui, the only person convicted in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks in the United States, which resulted in the deaths of 3,066 people, pleaded guilty in April 2005 to conspiring to fly planes into U.S. buildings. Twelve jurors and six alternates will decide whether Moussaoui is sentenced to death or life in prison.

According to news reports, prosecutors say Moussaoui should be sentenced to death because he could have prevented the attacks by telling authorities about al-Qaida’s plan to fly planes into the twin towers of the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and the U.S. Capitol or the White House. The plane headed for the Capitol or the White House crashed in a field in Pennsylvania, killing all passengers.

U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema, who dismissed Moussaoui from the courtroom four times on February 6 for disruptive behavior, told prospective jurors they would need to decide whether the defendant lied to interrogators about what he knew about the attacks when he was questioned prior to September 11, 2001.

The 29-page questionnaire asks jurors about their religious practices and their views on Islam and Arabs. Moussaoui, a Muslim, is Moroccan. The questionnaire also asks about prospective jurors’ views on the FBI, the death penalty and the attacks of September 11, 2001.

Jurors will be questioned individually beginning February 15; opening statements are scheduled for March 6.

Moussaoui was in custody on September 11, 2001, and although he confessed to conspiring to fly planes into U.S. buildings, he said he did not have a role in the 9/11 plot.

The Moussaoui case highlights key features of the U.S. legal system.

For more information on the use of the death penalty in the United States, see "Death Penalty Subject of Debate in United States."

(The Washington File is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)